Harry Potter and the Path to Power
by pricetm
Summary: Sixth year Harry takes control of his life and struggles to become the wizard necessary to defeat Voldemort. Action and adventure abound as Harry learns personal responsibility has its own problems and Rewards. Conceived pre hbp compliant with first 5year
1. Chapter 1 Decisions

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Decisions

Nope I don't own Harry Potter, just screwing with him and his world for fun without any hope of profit or gain. There is a rather lengthy authors note at the end of this chapter explaining what types of ideas and events you are likely to find in this fic. Read it if you want to know what to expect or if there are certain criteria that a story has to meet before you read it, otherwise feel free to skip it.

**Decisions**

Harry Potter sat on the edge of his bed in the smallest bedroom in the house at number 4 Privet Drive in Surry. It was well past one in the morning, and all of the normal people in the house were sound asleep. Harry however had never been considered normal by his family, although they had no idea how right they actually were. One part of the young boys mind knew that he should be asleep, but the truth was that Harry was scared to lie down and close his eyes.

One corner of Harry's mouth twitched up in a halfhearted smile as he recognized his fear. 'The great boy who lived, killer of basilisks, Fighter of Death Eaters, _marked Equal of Voldemort _and champion of Gryffindor was afraid to sleep.' Life had been bad enough since Sirius had fallen through the veil, but at least at Hogwarts Harry had been able to function. Here at privet drive Harry felt completely alone, and more vulnerable then ever.

This was the third night that Harry had sat disconsolately in his room, though he would have been somewhat surprised to learn this. Honestly the young wizard wasn't sure whether it had been one or two days since he had returned to the Dursleys. He could distinctly remember one night passing, but he wasn't' sure if that had been the first or the second such night. During the time that Harry had sat almost motionless on his bed, his mind had been a whirling dervish of action and emotions.

The prophecy had raced through his head multiple times over and over, as well as the image of his God Father's death. While these two items seemed to occupy the majority of Harry's time they were not the sole focus of his thoughts. He had also replayed the entire battle at the department of mysteries multiple times, as well as the main highlights of his entire time at Hogwarts.

Every time that the prophecy would run through Harry's mind he found himself adding a small commentary at the end. At first this had always ran along the line of "My Parents, and Sirius Died because of this stupid prophecy." As time went on though the Harry's thoughts had slowly changed to "Voldemort will never stop until I am dead." This thought was eventually followed by "No one can protect me, I am going to die, and then everyone I love is going to die." This thought had been pounding in his head for the last few hours every time he recited the prophecy to himself. After who knew how many thousand repetitions of the same words, the real meaning of the prophecy finally entered his mind.

Harry's head suddenly snapped up, and a genuine smile slowly spread across Harry's face. Softly, almost hesitantly Harry allowed his new revelation to be voiced, "I can win." The more Harry thought about it the more certain he was. The real message of the prophecy was hope. Voldemort wasn't immortal, he wasn't invincible, he could be stopped. Harry suddenly stood up and started pacing, he shook his head slowly as if to clear the cobwebs from his mind, "Tom you stupid fool. You don't even know it yet, but you sealed your doom the day you stepped across my parents threshold."

Harry stepped to his window and looked silently looked out at the clear night sky. His eyes were drawn towards one red point of light that he easily recognized from his astronomy classes. "Mars is exceptionally bright tonight, Firenze would say that is an omen of war and blood to come." Harry's eyes dropped to the horizon, "Well Tom, the war may be of your choosing, but in the end I swear it will be your blood that stains the ground."

Harry's spirit suddenly took a dive back towards depression, as a nagging voice in his head told him, "Who are you kidding, you aren't in the same league as Voldemort, just remember the Ministry of Magic." As Harry was about to slip back into depression he heard another voice in his head, one that sounded strangely like Sirius' "So what kiddo, you aren't in the same league as Voldemort…Yet. You don't have to charge off to war now, stop letting Voldemort plan your meetings. Work, prepare, plan, and when you are ready then you go after him."

Harry nodded silently to himself, then resumed his pacing. The prophecy said that he could bead Voldemort, now he had to figure out how to do it. It was time to take responsibility for his own life. With sadness he thought about all of the times that Hermione had had to badger him into studying, and doing his work. "If I am going to beat Voldy then I can't slack off anymore. I need to focus on become the best wizard I can."

Slowly a plan started to form in Harry's mind. He could do this, but he was going to need help, lots of help. And he needed to start as soon as possible. Harry continued to pace as he thought about what he needed to do, and how he should go about doing it. When he thought that he had most of his immediate concerns mapped out turned on his light, and stuffed a couple of school robes into the crack at the bottom of the door so that escaping light wouldn't disturb his relatives. He then took out some parchment and a quill and began to compose a letter.

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Professor Dumbledore

I hope that this letter finds you well. I am sure that you are aware that I was not in the best of mental states after the events at the Ministry of Magic, and the subsequent discussion in your office. I believe I have started to come to grips with those events and have reached a number of decisions, some of which I would appreciate your assistance in achieving. You must understand that I am not asking your permission in these areas, but I will accept and take into account any advise that you have. The list of things that I would like your assistance with are as follows.

I would like to meet with you and speak with you face to face for a few minutes to discuss my plans for the summer, and how they may affect the protections which you claim is afforded me here.

There is information which I have decided to share with Ron and Hermione that I do not believe either you or I would feel comfortable being sent by owl post. Therefore I feel that it is vital that I speak with them in person, whether together or separately doesn't matter to me, whichever is easiest to arrange.

I need to make a trip to Diagon Alley. I am willing to take whatever security precautions are necessary, but I will need to spend most of the day in the alley as there are many things I need to accomplish. I will also need to return at least once before the summer is over.

These three things, are vital, and the earlier they are accomplished the better. While obviously I cannot force the first one, I must reiterate that I am not asking permission for the other two, if you are not willing to assist me in arranging these things, I will strive to accomplish them on my own, even if it is against your wishes. The following Items are of less immediate concern, but are important non the less.

I would like to speak with Prof. Lupin. I will be writing to him multiple times over the summer, if he is willing to receive my owls, but I would also like the opportunity to speak with him in person.

I would also like to speak briefly with Prof. McGonagall. I tell you this in the belief that you stay in close contact with her and some of the other faculty over the summer. If a personal meeting is inconvenient for her, I believe that I am capable of conveying the necessary information in owl post.

I would also like to visit with Ginny Weasly, Luna Lovegood, and Nevile Longbottom, to express my gratitude for the assistance that gave me at the end of the last term, and to see how they are doing, both physically and emotionally after the events at the Ministry.

I would like to thank you in advance for your assistance in these matters, and apologize if it appears that I am making unnecessary demands of you in what is a difficult time for all of us.

Sincerely Harry Potter

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When Harry had finished his letter, he sealed it and placed it so that it would be easy for Hedwig to grab, he then turned to his owl who was looking at him with large golden eyes. "Hey girl. I am sorry I have been so out of it since we got here. I see you are almost out of water and food, and I am sorry. I should pay more attention to you, and I will. Also this summer I plan on sending a lot more letters, so I hope you are up for a busy couple of months." Harry gestured to the letter he had just written, "This is for Professor Dumbledore, you don't need to leave right now, but whenever you are ready If you could take it to him I would appreciate it." Harry then reached out and gently stroked his owls soft feathers, absently wondering if normal wizarding owls could understand and follow complex directions as well as Hedwig of if she was unique. After stroking her for a little while, Harry refilled her tray with food pellets, refilled her water dish, and gave her a special owl treat for good measure.

While Harry was taking care of Hedwig, he suddenly realized that he had been neglecting his own needs even worse than his owls. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he noticed that after multiple days in the same clothes and without a bath he had a fairly distinct odor about him. He also could no longer deny the sharp pangs of hunger and thirst that told him it had been far too long since he had eaten. After a quick mental debate Harry's bladder made him decide that he would take care of the bathroom needs first, then worry about food.

Silently Harry crept down the hall and into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later a much cleaner Harry tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen, after fixing himself a couple of sandwiches and a glass of juice, Harry stealthily returned to his bedroom, amazed that he hadn't woken his aunt or uncle. He had barely finished eating when exhaustion caught up with him, and he found himself drifting off to sleep.

When the sun woke Harry the next day he pulled on his glasses and looked at the clock, amazed that it was almost noon, and no one had disturbed him. He then looked over at Hedwig's cage, and noticed that his faithful owl had left, and taken the letter for professor Dumbledore with her. Harry took stock of his room, and changed into some of the better muggle clothing that he had. After one last look at the clock Harry decided it was time to face his relatives. After all, he thought, "If I plan on facing Voldemort, I should be able to deal with the Dursley's."

Harry Squared his shoulders and purposefully strode down the stairs trying to decide what the best way to get what he needed from his aunt and uncle would be. Harry stopped short as he entered the dining room. His aunt was sitting at the table by herself crying. Harry's mind raced back through time, and he realized with shock that he had never seen his aunt cry before. While Harry still didn't much care for his aunt, he was surprised to find that her discomfort caused him grief as well.

Quietly Harry crossed the room to his aunt, "Aunt Petunia, what's wrong?"

Petunia looked up at Harry with puffy red eyes, "Oh, what do you care, your probably happy about all of this." She almost spat at her nephew.

Harry tried again, "Did something happen? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Petunia started sobbing even harder, "My baby, My precious Dudlykins was arrested last night." Petunia shook as she cried, then faintly said, "It's not fair. It just isn't right, he is such a good boy. I am sure he didn't do anything wrong."

Harry Patted Petunia gently on the back, "Shh. It's all going to be Ok. I am sure it was just a mistake and that Dudley will be back home in no time." In Harry's mind he thought to himself stupid Oaf finally got caught, It was only a matter of time, but dear mommy and daddy won't ever believe that. Harry suddenly grinned to himself, and thought that just because Petunia was distraught was no reason for him to go hungry, "Here aunt Petunia, let me fix you some food."

Petunia wailed a long anguished sound before choking out, "How could I eat at a time like this."

"Just think of Dudley, he wouldn't want you to go hungry." After a moments pause Harry played his trump card, "Besides when he comes home, don't you think Dudley would like to have a nice meal waiting for him?"

Petunia sniffed a couple of times, "Your right, Vernon was going to take of work to go down to the station. I am sure he will sort it all out, and I should have something warm for my baby to eat. I am sure they are starving him at the awful place."

Harry headed for the kitchen to make lunch, secretly hoping that Dudley would stay in jail for a while and that Harry could take care of Dudley's portion of food as well. He had barely finished cooking a large pasta with a creamy garlic chicken sauce when the front door opened, and to Harry's great dismay Vernon entered leading a very subdued Dudley. "Oh, well." Thought Harry, "at least I made enough for everyone."

As Harry served lunch, Vernon watched him with undisguised malice, "Boy." He suddenly said, "After lunch, you are coming with me. I am going to buy you some nice clothes, but don't think for a minute that you deserve them. Tomorrow morning there is going to be a hearing for Dudley, and the judge has requested the whole household to be there. You will look normal, you will act normal, and if you do or say anything to hurt Dudley's case I swear I will kill you. Do you understand me boy?"

Harry mutely nodded his assent.

After Lunch Harry learned that his Uncles idea of nice clothes for Harry consisted of One pair of the least expensive black pants that could be found in Harry's size, and the cheapest white dress shirt that could be found in Harry's size. Even so, Vernon looked like he was going to be physically ill at having to spend a little over 10 pounds on Harry. He mumbled over and over to him self, "this is for Dudley" until Harry was sure that the clerk thought that his uncle was off his meds.

Upon arriving back at number 4 privet drive, Harry decided to return to his room before his Uncle could think to assign any chores. When Harry opened his door, he was pleased as well as a little surprised to find not only hedwig returned, but she had obviously brought a reply to his letter. Absently Harry wondered just how fast Hedwig was capable of flying as it seemed that she had made the trip to the headmaster in a very short amount of time.

"Thank you girl, I didn't expect to see you back so soon. You really are amazing you know." Harry smiled as his owl puffed up with pride, before silently flying from her cage to his shoulder and affectionately nuzzling at his ear. Harry returned her affection by stroking the soft feathers of her chest, "Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have you around girl. I don't think I would have survived some of my summers here without you to talk to."

Hedwig let out one loud squawk in Harry's ear almost as if she was saying, "And don't you forget it either." Then she nipped at his ear and flew back to her perch, while Harry crossed the room to read the letter the Headmaster's reply.

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Dear Harry,

I was quite happy to see your lovely owl fly through the window this morning, as I had feared you would be to upset to talk with me. Imagine my delight when listed first among you "reasonable requests" was an opportunity to speak with me face to face. While I cannot say that I am happy with all of your requests I must say that at this time I will not council you against any one item on your list. I will however urge you to extreme caution, not only with your physical well-being, but also with who you share any sensitive information with. Having said that your secrets are yours to share, I may discuss this with you in more detail when we meet. As you know it is important for your safety that the blood protection of your relatives is reinforced, for this reason prolonged absences from home and family are strongly discouraged at this time. What I therefore propose is that you visit your old Sitters house at five in the morning two day's from now. I know that this is rather early, but my hope is that we can accomplish everything on your list, with the exception of the visits to two of your friends, on that day. I assure you that those two friends are physically fine after the events at the ministry, and I will do my best to make sure that you can speak to them before the summer has progressed to far. If this plan and timing is unacceptable to you please reply quickly, otherwise I will see you in two days.

Sincerely Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

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Harry sat in shock for a moment. Two days, was he ready? No! But he would be. He couldn't believe that Dumbledore hadn't attempted to prevent him from visiting Diagon Alley. He could understand Dumbledore's urging of caution, but was convinced that his closest friends had the right to know what he was asking of them.

Harry started to plan the events that needed to happen in a couple of day's when he was suddenly attacked by another bout of fatigue. He drowsily considered that he had slept for less than seven hours in the last four days and that he had a right to be sleepy. With that thought in mind, Harry crawled back in bed and with a whispered goodnight to his owl drifted off to slumber.

Whether it was due to exhaustion or the fates deciding that Harry was due for a break, Harry's sleep was completely undisturbed by vision or nightmare for the second night in a row. Unfortunately the waking world wasn't quite so pleasant. He had forgotten about his Cousins hearing and had attempted to join his family at breakfast dressed the way he normally would. His uncle had immediately barked at him to go back to his room and change.

When Harry had dressed in his new clothes he looked down at his feat at the ragged pair of trainers and thought to himself oh yea, this is exactly the type of impression Vernon wants me to make. To Harry's surprise, it appeared as though his uncle had already thought of this problem as a rather huffy Vernon barged into Harry's room with a pair of extremely large dress shoes in his hand.

"Here boy put these on and be careful you don't scuff them, I expect them back in my closet tonight in the same condition they are in now, do you hear me?"

Harry took the proffered shoes and before he could stop himself blurted out, "There a little bit big for me don't ya think."

It was a sign of how preoccupied Vernon was with the upcoming hearing that for once he forgot to get mad at Harry, and just mumbled as he left the room, "Stuff some socks in the toes, they will fit fine."

After putting on his uncles oversized shoes Harry thought to himself "I look like a well dressed clown without the bow tie or the red nose."

Harry realized that he wasn't going to be allowed any breakfast when upon returning downstairs, Petunia immediately sent him back to "do something with that awful mess of hair." He was shocked when she told him to use the hairspray from her bathroom. He had almost made it to the stairs when Vernon roared at him, "And put a tie on before you come back downstairs. You can get one out of my closet, but not one of my nice silk ones. One of the older ones out of the back."

Harry thought about grabbing one of his Gryffindor ties, but decided against it since the bright colors were sure to upset his uncle. So it was that ten minutes later Harry returned downstairs with a black tie around his neck, and half a can of hairspray holding his hair in place, only to find that breakfast had been put away and the three Dursleys were waiting for Harry at the door.

When they reached the court, Harry was dismayed to learn that Dudley's hearing wasn't for another two hours, and that there had been plenty of time for him to grab a bite to eat before they left. One benefit of getting to the court early was that they were in time to watch the sentencing of one of Dudley's friends, and the trial and sentencing of two more of Dudley's group, the last one being Piers Polkiers. After watching the two hearings previous to Dudley's the events leading up to the arrest of the four friends was clear.

It had started with a fairly common beating of small, rather nerdy looking boy, who despite his appearance was actually a couple of years older than the members of the gang. After knocking the guy around a little bit it appeared that Piers had pulled a knife and the four of them had stolen not only the young man's wallet but also his car keys. While joy riding in the stolen car they had actually rear ended a police car. As if that wasn't bad enough the constables had discovered Heroine when they arrested the four boys.

Soon Dudley was called to the front of the court, and the charges against him were read. Harry noted curiosity that Dudley unlike his three friends was not charged with possession of Drugs. During the testimony of the witnesses it was revealed that Dudley's role in the entire event was fairly passive, he had held the victim down while his friends beat on him. Beyond that though he had actually objected to the theft at knifepoint, and had been in the backseat of the stolen car, apparently just along for the ride.

When the case against Dudley had been presented the judge asked Dudley if he had anything to say in his defense. Dudley simply hung his head and mumbled a quite "No sir."

Vernon and Petunia on the other hand both had quite a lot to say to the Judge. Both of them went on and on about their son's "flawless character", and "kind gentle nature." Petunia tearfully explained that her "Precious little boy" had never been in any trouble before. She even went so far as to claim that she was positive that Dudley hadn't even been present for the assault and robbery, and that his only mistake was in accepting a ride in a stolen car. Vernon explained that Dudley was a pillar of the community and a "top student" at a very prestigious private school.

By the time that Vernon and Petunia were finished expounding their sons virtues to the court, the Judge looked positively furious. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, you are either fools, liars, or the worst parents I have ever met, and possibly all three. Your 'top student' son is barely squeaking by on academic probation while taking all remedial classes at his school, I have the transcripts here in front of me. It also appears that he has bullied and physically assaulted those smaller than himself since his first day of grade school. I count over fifty counseling statements that have been sent to your home over the years concerning the inappropriate actions of your perfect son. The local constables in Surry have also informed me that your miscreant son has received more than one warning from them and has on multiple instances been escorted back to your home. If you want to blame someone for where your son is today I suggest you take good hard look at yourselves.

Even though the thought of a Dudley free life appealed to Harry, he knew that his aunt and uncle would be completely unbearable to him if he was in the house alone with them. With this thought in mind Harry squared his shoulders and summoned his Gryffindor courage to do what he didn't want to do. In the back of his mind an irritating nagging voice also pointed out that what he was about to do was probably the right thing to do too.

Harry stood up, and looked the Judge strait in the eye and asked, "Your Honor, could I please say a few words to the court?" Harry felt his uncle stiffen beside him, and heard a quick intake of breath from his aunt, and new that if he looked over at them they would both have expressions of horror etched on their faces.

The Judge nodded, "Ok, but please make it brief. I think we have wasted enough time on this matter."

Harry steeled himself and returned the nod, "Your honor, My name is Harry Potter, I am Dudley's cousin and have lived with him ever since my parents died when I was one. Growing up I was the target of Dudley's bullying, and his fists on more than one occasion. I learned to fear Dudley and the three boys you have just sentenced." Harry could hear the low growl of anger that was coming from his uncle, and hoped that for once Vernon could control his temper for just a few minutes.

Harry paused for just a minute then continued, "I tell you this not to condemn Dudley, but so that you understand that while I am related to him I don't particularly like Dudley. Over the last three years, my relationship with Dudley has changed. We are still not friends, but Dudley hasn't hit me in years. In fact he has even on stood up for me and protected me from his friends. As you can no doubt see for yourself physically I am no match for Dudley, and he could still bully me at home if he so desired." Harry thought to himself yeah except that I have a wand and Dudley is terrified of me.

"You mentioned the counseling statements sent home by Dudley's school in regard to his behavior. While I have never seen any of them, I expect that if you look at them you will find that over the last year and a half Dudley has received few if any such statements. He has during that time frame become involved in the sport of boxing, which he is quite good at and rightfully proud of. This sport has helped him to gain discipline and given him an outlet for his aggression."

Harry took a deep breath, then continued. "His one real weakness right now are the people he has grown to call his friends. When I was younger I always thought of them as Dudley's gang, but I have come to realize that Piers is actually the leader of the gang. I am sure that if you step back and look at this group you will find that Dudley while not completely innocent, is a victim of Piers and his friends. Your Honor I ask that you carefully consider the decision you are about to make

You can punish Dudley, but that will only serve to introduce him to even worse influences then Piers. Or you can show compassion and use your power to assist Dudley on becoming the man that could be. My aunt and uncle may be blind to Dudley's faults, but they do love him. Second chances don't come along all that often, but if you would give Dudley a second chance I think you may be pleasantly surprised." Harry racked his brain to see if there was anything else he should say, then exhales slowly before adding, "Thank you for taking the time to hear me out."

When Harry sat down he finally glanced over at the rest of his family, Petunia returned his look with an odd combination gratitude and repulsion. Vernon simply looked confused, as if he was still trying to make out what Harry had said. Dudley looked up at Harry with tears running down his face and silently mouthed "Thank you." At that point Harry realized that regardless of the outcome he had done the right thing, albeit for slightly the wrong reasons.

The Judge looked at Dudley for a long couple of minutes before ordering him to stand up. "Mr. Dursley, you are lucky to have the cousin you do. I will tell you the truth, before your parents spoke on your behalf I was planning on giving you a thirty day jail sentence. After they were done talking I had just about decided on a ninety day sentence with an inquiry by the child safety board. After Mister Potter's plea though I have decided to instead assign you one hundred and fifty hours of community service. Along with your community service you are required to meet weekly with an officer of the court to ensure that you are not causing any more problems. Since your cousin seems to think that boxing has been so good for you, and your school records seem to validate this opinion I am going to recommend you enroll in a summer boxing program independent of your school program. I also highly recommend that you seek part time employment." The Judge paused to let his words sink in before continuing, "I will meet with you again in two months. If I feel that you have not made sufficient progress in becoming a useful member of society there will still be a thirty day jail sentence waiting for you."

The Judge rapped his gavel to indicate that he was done with Dudley, and a middle aged woman appeared beside the Dursley's, "If you will follow me I will set you up with appropriate community service, and set up your weekly meetings with one of our service workers."

As Harry followed the Dursley's out of the courtroom he wondered if the fact that he had just saved their precious Dudlykins from jail would have any effect on the way that he was treated.

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**Authors note, read at your own peril**

_**Brief overview**: This is a sixth year Harry Potter fan fiction. It was created prior to HBP so don't expect anything from HBP or beyond to influence it overly much. In this story Harry and Ron specifically man up and start taking responsibility for their lives. Harry accepts that if he works hard and focuses he will have the privilege of killing one Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort. Harry and his friends will take charge of their lives, and of the war. Expect a confident focused Harry. A supportive and intelligent Ron and Hermione. This story is about taking responsibility, and gaining the power necessary to do the job laid out before Harry. Harry will be forced to gain power physically, mentally, emotionally, magically and politically. Also expect to see a somewhat new and improved DA. Conflict, both deadly and among allies abound. New magic, and old magic revisited. Action, Adventure, and just enough fluff to keep things from getting overwhelming(actually there may be more fluff than strictly necessary, but hey I am having fun here). _

_If you want to understand where this fic is going or where I am coming from then come let me lead you on a trip through my thought process. Each of the following paragraphs deals with one topic, you can tell from the first couple of words what that paragraph is about. This is done so that if you don't want to know my view on a certain aspect until you read it in the story you can skip it, or if there is one aspect of the story that is important to you, you can find it easily. _

_**Relationships**. First of all for you avid shippers out there, my preferences and eventual endings are Harry/Ginny Ron/Hermione Remus/Tonks Neville/Luna and all others inconsequential to the story line. Having said that I don't believe that a fifteen or sixteen year old should be hooking up for life on their first date. To that end relationships come and go in my fics, although normally only when I want to progress a plot line or a character development trait. You will not find a deep romantic love within this fic with the possible exception of Remus and Tonks who are old enough that the can be looking at marriage right around the corner. _

_**Sex.** Well don't expect it from any main non wed characters. Yeah I know that it happens in real life, but it doesn't happen to everyone. I waited until my wedding night and gosh darn it so will the entire student body of Hogwarts._

_**Slash**- NO!_

_**Alcohol**. There will be no drinking from the students at Hogwarts. I don't drink, I don't support alcohol consumption in any form, even fictionally. "What about Butterbeer" you ask? For the sake of my story Butterbeer is similar to modern root beer, it tastes good and is non alcoholic. "How do you explain Winky getting drunk off of the stuff?" you ask. Well simple, House elf physiology is different than human physiology, and Winky will be checking into rehab for her crimes._

_Now on to my take on **death and killing**. It's a war, people die. Good people die, bad people die. Good people kill, bad people kill, and since I like the good people more then the bad ones, the good people will be killing a lot. If you have a problem with a sixteen year old warrior well tough luck. Historically there have been millions of soldiers and warriors of this same age, and there is evidence that they deal with killing the enemy with less psychological problems then some older more mature soldiers._

_**Angst?** Probably not gonna see a whole lot of it. I am not very far out of my teenage years, and I wasn't a sissy boy cries a lot, who suffered from teenage angst, and neither were any of my friends. I wouldn't know how to write that type of a pathetic loser even if I wanted too.(oops now I guess you know what my feelings on teen angst are.) Having said that my view of the characters will have healthy tempers, they may yell, break things and punch things(people, animagi, giant squids, stone walls) But they will do the natural thing and get over it and get on with their lives._

_**Dumbledore** Is sometimes characterized as a manipulative bastard almost as dislikeable as Voldemort. Sometimes he is the gentle loving grandfather. For me he is the powerful leader who sometimes focuses on the overall war so much as to forget about the individuals. He does care but doesn't always show it. Also he has gotten a little too use to holding the reins of power, and may chafe from time to time as Harry and Company go their own way. For the sake of this story He is good, he does care about people, and he loves Harry. But expect some serious conflicts as Harry and Dumbledore seek to redefine their relationship._

_**Redemption**, Prolly not gonna happen. The only character who has been painted negatively in the first five books that I plan on redeeming is Dudley, and he doesn't really matter after the summer is over so hey might as well show that I am not completely heartless. Other then that don't expect to see a Malfoy and a Potter sitting down for tea and biscuits any time soon._

_**Snape**, in my mind falls under the above category. He is however a unique character, so without giving too much away let me say, he isn't a nice guy, and as far as I am concerned never will be a nice guy. My full view on Snape is explained in a couple of chapters._

_**Character intelligence.** My personal view is that Harry and Ron are both highly intelligent slackers who haven't put much effort into learning before. In this story they will be giving Hermione a run for her money when it comes to academics, although neither of them will develope her love of research, they will demonstrate intuitive leaps of knowledge at times._

_**New characters.** There will be multiple new characters, but none of them will be main characters. Expect them to hang around for a couple of chapters then move on. The exception to this will be new teachers who will most likely just stay in the background without playing too heavily into the story. Also this story was originally planned out in its entirety prior to Half Blood Prince just because I don't like making names I may use some names of individuals introduced in HBP or even DH I will do this if the character I envision is similar to the one Rowling created. If I do this however it will be my char's personality with her name so don't complain if they act out of character a little._

_**Language.** I will use the occasional H e double hockey sticks from time to time, I also use the word bloody quite a bit.(being an American it doesn't hold quite the same connotation for me as it does for some). You won't find any stronger foul language, but I may include some of the strange things I personally say when I am royally ticked off.(one example to give you an idea is the expletive Son of a Gumby headed bastard, which I have used for most of my life with no idea where I picked it up)_

_**Brit speak V American speak**. I could do a lot more Brit speak if I wanted to but honestly I just don't care. I will write the story in a manner very similar to my own style of speech. There may be a few British phrases thrown in (I lived in Europe as a child) there will be American phrases. There may be some southern slang occasionally (lived in South Carolina for a while) also expect some west coast and a bit of Midwest vernacular as well. Why don't I make the effort to phrase things in the proper British manner you might wonder? Well the simple answer is that as a fan fiction that I will not receive any money from, I simply do not want to put that much thought into something that to me is unimportant, I am all about story and could care less about things like proper dialect and grammar. One exception to this is that characters who are overly fond of certain phrases will continue to use them, even if I wouldn't in my own speech._

_**Timeline.** I don't put any dates into my story as far as the year goes, but I do have events happening which may not coincide properly with cannon timeline, mostly because I prefer to view stories of this nature as now instead of a specific year. Also for the most part the story takes place in the magical world making the timeline far less important._

_**How long is the story?** The outline I have is well past novel length. If there is absolutely no interest in the story I will stop posting if there is minimal interest in the story I may start condensing things. If there is moderate interest in the story expect at least 100k words and probably half again as many._

_**How long are the chapters?** Hehe well, this is a short chapter for me(even with the author note attached) so that should give you some Idea of what to expect._

_**Mistakes** They will abound deal with it. I will run each chapter through a spell checker which when I am tired may actually make things worse(I may have changed Dursley to Dorsey in the first chapter a few times) I will try to avoid horrible gross grammatical error, but I will leave plenty of small ones perfectly intact._

_Am I going to waste your time with lots of these author notes? Nope. In fact don't expect to see another one unless there are multiple questions posed to me that I feel are not answered within the story._

_If this insanely long authors note didn't answer your questions as to what to expect in the story post a review and ask me your question, I will do my best to answer it._


	2. Chapter 2 Stepping Up

I still own nothing

Stepping up

Harry rolled out of bed at four fifteen in the morning and went about dragged himself through the process of getting ready for the day. He was dreading the upcoming day more than any day he could remember in his short life. As he silently let himself out of the Dursley's front door he reminded himself of why he needed to carry through with his plans for the day, no matter how difficult it might be.

When he reached Mrs. Figgs house, Harry hesitantly raised his hand to knock on the door, then paused and looked at the black windows of the house. For a second Harry panicked, had he misunderstood Dumbledore's letter, was he about to wake a poor woman from a decent nights slumber for no good reason? "Well," he reasoned, "No point turning back now, besides I am sure this is what the note meant."

Once more he raised his hand to knock on the door. His quick light knock had barely ended when the door was quickly opened from the inside. Harry was shocked to see not Mrs. Figg, but Albus Dumbledore standing inside the dark room.

"Ah, Harry. Even a few minutes early I see, quite an accomplishment for most teenagers at this hour of the morning. Come in, come in."

When Harry had entered the house Dumbledore closed the door and summoned just barely enough light to make out the shadowy outline of the couch and a coffee table. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when something brushed past his leg in the dark, before he remembered Mrs. Figgs multiple cats.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, getting Harry's attention, "Yes, before we take off, I am afraid that I may have made a terrible mistake. You see young Harry, while I did my best to arrange everything that you asked for, I scheduled the meetings to take place at the order headquarters. However since that time I have received Owls from Remus, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Molly reminding me rather pointedly that headquarters might very well be the last place that you wish to go at this time. If you wish I believe that we can change the venue to Hogwarts, although it will not be quite as secure or safe for this type of discussion."

Harry took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. After a couple of minutes to force the tightness in his chest to dissipate, Harry replied. "Sir I would be more comfortable at Hogwarts, but I need to face headquarters eventually. If you really feel that headquarters is more secure then that is where we should go, you may have to give me a few moments to compose myself once we get there though."

Dumbledore placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, "It is always best to confront ones demons and emotions before they grow to large to defeat. Of course I will give you whatever time you need, and if you change your mind we can change our plans. Now if you will grab hold of this empty bag of lemon drops we will be on our way."

Harry grabbed onto one end of the proffered empty candy bag. As soon as he had touched the bag Dumbledore activated the portkey and Harry felt that familiar dreaded sensation just before he was dropped unceremoniously in the middle of the main sitting room at number 12 Grimauld place.

Harry slowly dusted himself off, as he looked around at Sirius' old house. It was apparent that a lot of work had gone into an attempt to change the feel of the place. Everything was clean, the walls had been repainted a light blue, and new curtains hung from the windows. Still despite the improvements Harry could almost sense the dark foreboding structure hiding behind its new façade struggling to get out.

He thought to himself that it would take more then a fresh coat of paint to undue the years of hatred that had soaked into the very bones of this old home. Harry was also surprised to find that he felt little of the discomfort that he had expected upon being in this place.

After a few moments had passed by Harry turned to Professor Dumbledore, "Sir, a number of my discussions today should be kept from all prying ears, I was wondering if you could set up a room for me so that I don't have to worry about anyone overhearing what is said in it."

Dumbledore seemed a little taken back, "Of course Harry, Are you sure that you don't need to take a few more moments before we get started?"

Harry shrugged, "I thought it would be different, but the truth is this house doesn't mean anything to me. I thought It would remind me of Sirius, but it doesn't. Sirius may have stayed here, but this place was never really his, and it holds little of his memory." Harry struggled to find the right words for a moment, "Sirius was laughter and passion and irreverence. Sirius was life, this house it holds the memory of great and noble house of black to close to understand the joy of living life the way Sirius did. At the end it was his prison," Now Harry started to tear up just a little, "But just like Azkaban, he escaped this prison in the end as well."

"You are correct Harry, and one of my many regrets is that instead of friend I played the part of warden while Sirius was here, but he didn't just escape at the end Harry, every time you were here Sirius' joy was such that not even this home could suppress or contain it. I think Sirius found his true freedom in you."

"If you will follow me I think there is a small study on the second floor that should suit your needs."

Silently Harry followed Dumbledore up the stairs and to a small room he hadn't been in before. There wasn't much to the room, just a small table and four padded wooden chairs. No window, no portraits, and only the one door. After looking around quickly Harry decided that it should be easy enough ensure that this room was private.

Shortly after entering the small room, Dumbledore pulled out his wand and began waving it in complicated patterns while whispering in some foreign tongue. After he had repeated this process for all four walls, he performed an even more complex charm on the doorway.

"It appears that I am slipping in my old age, I should have recognized that you would need those privacy charms and set them up ahead of time, the door should allow people in and out without any problem but should stop all listening devices including those wondrous extendable ears of the Weasly twins. Whoever is inside the room should be able to hear what is going on outside the door. That way in the unlikely event of an emergency you won't be caught off guard."

Harry smiled, "Actually I am glad you didn't set up the privacy wards earlier, this way I know that no one has tampered with them." The smile suddenly disappeared to be replaced by a solemn look of determination. "I am going to kill Voldemort. I am years behind him in skill and power, So any advice you can give me would be appreciated."

Dumbledore reeled as if struck, "Harry, I was afraid this would happen when I shared the prophecy with you. You can't go after him. You have to finish school, and mature magically before you will be ready to face him. Let the adults fight the war while you finish being a child."

Harry sat down facing the door, and gestured to the chair across the table for Dumbledore to sit in. When Dumbledore had sat down, Harry looked across the table at him, "I'm sorry professor, but I stopped being a child the day I had to carry Cedric Diggory's body back to his parents so that they could give him a proper burial. The truth is I wasn't much of a child before that even. I know I am not ready to face Voldemort yet, but I don't need to be hidden and protected. I need to be trained and instructed. I will kill that bloody bastard. I'm not asking you to take your time away from the war to train me, all I am asking for is that you point me in the direction of what I need to be learning."

Dumbledore hung his head, "Master the courses at Hogwarts, and I will help you learn what else you need to know. Your primary classes at school are the building blocks for the more powerful magic you will need to defeat Voldemort, I won't say any more on this subject."

Harry was frustrated, but had actually been expecting something along these lines. "Ok, then how about a different subject, you stated in your return letter to me that the prophecy was my secret, do you really feel that way?"

"Of course Harry, and while I would prefer that you keep it to yourself I understand why you wish to tell Ron and Hermione. I would ask you to guard this particular secret very closely, and remember that even trusted friends are not always trustworthy, might I remind you of Peter Pettigrew"

Harry nodded, "Or Severus Snape," he held up a hand to forestall the comment Dumbledore was about to make. "I feel that I have a right to know how many people know the full contents of the prophecy."

Dumbledore nodded, "Only four living people know the full contents of the prophecy, and only two of them are able to pass it on. Besides you and me, Frank and Alice Longbottom are the only other living souls that I know of that know the full prophecy, and unfortunately neither of them are capable of sharing it. In my life I have only told five people, and I do not plan on ever telling another soul."

Harry nodded absently, "the other two were my parents right?" When Dumbledore had nodded his assent, Harry continued, "What about Trelawny."

Dumbledore stared heavily at the table, "It appears that while she is give a true prophecy that Sybil does not retain any memory of the prophecy she gave or even that she gave one. To make sure I used legilamancy on her, then veritaserum to se if she could be forced to recall the prophecy. Both forms of interrogation failed, but just to be sure, I used an extremely powerful memory charm on her and removed that entire day from her mind. I am afraid that this may account for some of her more eccentric qualities."

Harry grinned, "Next question, do you have me under surveillance in Surry?"

"Harry that surveillance is for your protection."

Harry smiled brightly at his headmaster, "Good, I was hoping that they would still be around. I would like to set up a way that I can signal when I want to talk with one of them, that way if I can have secure way of passing on information that might be best kept out of the standard post."

Dumbledore gaped in shock at Harry, having braced himself for an argument about not needing watched he was totally unprepared for this request, "Yes Harry, I am sure that we can arrange something."

The discussion between Harry and Dumbledore lasted for almost another hour, with topics ranging from the revoking of Umbridge's decrees, and Quiditch bans, to new security precautions for Hogwarts. It was nearly seven in the morning by the time that Harry and the headmaster's conversation was wrapping up.

Harry wasn't completely happy with how the conversation had gone, but at the same time new that it could have been worse. Dumbledore hadn't agreed with Harry on everything, he even adamantly disagreed on multiple points that Harry was equally adamant about. But by the time that Dumbledore was ready to leave Harry felt that for the first time Dumbledore had answered his questions Honestly.

As Dumbledore stood to leave he said to Harry, "I am sure that you and I could continue to speak for many hours, and quite possibly we should have that conversation. Unfortunately you have a rather busy schedule today. Remus should be up to see you shortly. Ron and Ginny will be arriving here at eight o'clock, and if I know molly she will probably come with them and insist on feeding the lot of you. Hermione will arrive at approximately 9, and Minerva will be here at 10:15 sharp. I will return at Eleven to provide you with your disguise for Diagon Alley. If you would listen to one last piece of advice, I would strongly suggest that you take your three young friends with you to Diagon Alley, there is safety in numbers. Also Bill and Charlie Weasly will be your order guards while at Diagon alley. If you need to do something that requires privacy one of them can accompany you while the other one watches over the rest of the group. I hope that these arrangements are to your satisfaction."

While it still rankled Harry that he needed an order assigned guard, he decided that Bill and Charlie were among the two best that he could have hoped for. After thinking about this for a couple of seconds Harry responded, "That should work out, and thank you sir for setting this up for me, I appreciate it."

After Dumbledore's departure, Harry sat in grim silence. Remus Lupin was the person that Harry was dreading seeing the most. For the hundredth time Harry went over in his mind what he wanted to say to Lupin, and for the hundredth time he found the words lacking. What did you say to the man who had just lost his best friend? How did you comfort someone who had suffered so much in one lifetime?

Harry was a little surprised that Lupin had agreed to meet with him. Harry didn't know what he would do if Lupin blamed him for Sirus' death. Suddenly Harry mentally kicked himself. What if Lupin's letter to Dumbledore about headquarters wasn't about Harry at all? What if it was Lupin who wasn't ready to face this house and his memories yet. Lupin would of course have more memories of Sirius at Grimauld place than Harry did.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Harry started to mumble over and over again. He was brought short by a noise from the hallway outside, and looked up just in time to see Lupin step through the doorway of the small privacy room Dumbledore had set up.

Remus Lupin looked worse than Harry had ever seen him. His face showed deep lines of fatigue, and the puffy area around his eyes indicated frequent tears. His robes were tattered, and his face had an ashen countenance.

Harry was instantly on his feet and around the table to greet Lupin. Harry tried, but couldn't keep the worry out of his voice as he greeted the last true Marauder, "Professor Lupin, I'm glad you agreed to talk to me. Do, um do you want to talk here, or is there somewhere you would be more comfortable?"

Professor Lupin forced a small smile to his face, "Would it be ok with you if we moved down to the Library? There is a chair that Sirius charmed to give massages that I find helpful." He paused then added, "The transformation takes a lot more out of me now that Severus is no longer providing the Wolfsbane Potion."

Harry could have screamed in anguish. Of course Lupin looked horrible it was the morning after a full moon, and he had just gone through one of the most painful and horrible experiences humanly imaginable, that coupled with Sirius' death had to be taking their toll. After just a moments contemplation, Harry agreed with Lupin's request for a slight change of venue.

Before they left the privacy room however Harry asked Lupin if he would be willing to perform a locking spell on the door so that no one would be able to tamper with the spells that Dumbledore had cast. After a few waves of the wand at the door, and a mumbled incantation Lupin nodded. "Just place your hand on the doorknob, and use the marauders password before turning. Anyone who attempts to open the door without the proper password will receive a rather unpleasant shock. The spell wears off after the door is open though."

When Harry and Remus had entered the large black library, Harry was surprised to see Remus make a beeline for a strange squat round contraption off to one side. The 'chair' had no back and looked decidedly uncomfortable to Harry. Harry gasped in surprise when Remus lowered himself onto the chair, for no sooner had Remus sat down when over a dozen hands burst out from underneath the chair and started to massage the weary werewolf. As Remus leaned back even more hands appeared to prop up his legs, and support his back. A pair of hands even removes Remus, shoes and started to massage his feet.

Remus seemed to melt into massaging hands and for a couple of minutes Harry was content to just watch the look of contentment and pleasure that spread across Lupin's haggard features. Eventually Remus sat up a little straighter, and looked at Harry. "I am glad that wanted to talk to me, because there are some things that I need to say to you too. Since you however are the one to request this meeting I think it only fair that you have your say first."

Harry started to pace in front of Lupin while he shored up his courage. If it wasn't for Lupin's enhanced wolf senses he wouldn't have heard the young wizard's mantra of "I'm a sodding bloody gryffindor, I can do this."

After Harry had repeated this phrase about eight times he braced himself and turned to face Lupin.

"Profess… Mr. Lup… Oh bloody hell. Remus, I hope you don't mind me calling you Remus, please hear me out before you say anything. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I allowed myself to be tricked by Voldemort, and that Sirius paid with his life. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to Dumbledore last year, and I am sorry that I forgot about Sirius' two way mirrors that could have prevented his death, and I am deeply sorry for your loss.

I loved Sirius, but my relationship to him was different than yours. I can't imagine what you must be going through right now. I know I can't replace Sirius, and I can't replace my father, but if you will let me I want to be a part of your life.

You are the last remaining Marauder, but as long as I draw breath you don't need to be alone. I would be honored if you could consider me part of your family. You don't have to make a decision today, but I will do my best always be here for you, even if all you need is someone to yell at." Harry started to get choked up as he forced out his last sentence, "Moony, I well I want you to know that I'm sorry, and that I love you."

Harry couldn't believe he had just said that. He couldn't recall ever telling someone that he loved them before, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth he knew that they were true, and wouldn't take them back for anything. He deeply regretted that he had never said those same words to Sirius.

Harry had barely finished talking when Lupin launched himself from his chair, and enveloped Harry in a bone crushing hug. For a brief eternity the two wizards silently embraced, then Remus started to shake slightly. At first Harry thought that the older wizard was crying, but when he pulled back slightly was shocked to see Lupin's face split into a large grin, and the older wizard shaking with laughter.

Anger flared inside Harry's chest, he had just poured his heart out, and Lupin was laughing at him.

Lupin seemed to sense the sudden change in Harry's emotions as he pulled back, not even trying to hide the smile on his face. "Harry, wait. I'm not laughing at you, this whole situation just suddenly struck me as absurd. I have spent every waking moment since I last saw you at Kings Cross, trying to put into words what I wanted to say to you. I even wrote it down so that if I lost my nerve I could at least read it to you. Do you want to see what I came up with?"

At Harry's nod Lupin pulled a folded piece of parchment out of the folds of his robe, and handed it to Harry. Harry started to scan the small speech, but had only gone a little way when he was forced to do a double take. Lupin's prepared speech was eerily similar to the one that Harry had just delivered, in fact there were sections that were identical. As Harry reread the speech he thought about how terrified he had been about meeting with Lupin, and here they both wanted to say almost the exact same thing to each other. The more he thought about it the more he was able to see the humor in the situation, and soon both Harry and Remus were shaking with laughter.

The laughter broke what little ice their was between the two, and soon Harry and Remus were deep in frivolous conversation. Remus was laughing so hard at Harry's animated description of his first encounter with fluffy that Harry was certain if not for the effort of the multiple hands on his massage chair Remus would literally be rolling on the ground.

Remus was just repeating to himself "Killed, or worse expelled" followed by a chuckled "priorities indeed." When the door to the library burst open, and five read headed figures swept into the room.

Harry had been expecting Ron and Ginny, and wasn't surprised in the least to see Mrs. Weasly. He was however surprised to see the twins enter with them.

One of the twins let out a low whistle, "Would you look at that Gred?"

"I see it Forge, that may easily be."

In unison the two declared, "The most incredible chair I have ever seen."

"I must try it."

"of course Gred I myself am most eager for the experience as well."

"Well then Forge we must see if we can pry Messer Moony away from his precious perch."

With a wink that was directed so that only Harry could see it Lupin lazily arose and gestured towards the chair, "Be my guest boys."

As soon as one of the twins, Harry was pretty sure it was Fred, had set down; the hands once again shot out from underneath the chair. This time though instead of the gentle massage that they had given Remus the hands seized Fred roughly on his arms and legs and unceremoniously deposited him on the floor. While Fred struggled futilely against the hands, a large mouth-like gash opened up in the seat of the char.

"Help George, it's going to eat me!" Fred's panicked voice was muffled as one of the hands clamped down over his mouth.

The strange chair then began to speak in a voice that sounded all too similar to Sirius' "Think you can just go plopping your large posterior anywhere you choose do you? Think you are worthy of a massage from me eh? Well, what have you done for me recently, answer me that. How would you like it if I just decided to sit on you and expected you to give me a message?" the corners of the chairs mouth turned up in an obvious grin, "Not answering eh, what's wrong, dog got your tongue? Ok, I am going to let go of your mouth and I want you to say that Padfoot rules."

As soon as the hand was removed from Fred's mouth the young prankster whispered almost reverently "Padfoot Rules"

The chair instantly responded with "Darn right he does, and don't you forget it." Having said that the hands all instantly retracted, and the mouth closed up again leaving the chair an innocuous looking rather lumpy object in the corner.

Fred stood up and starred at the offending furniture for about fifteen seconds before his face split into a huge grin, "Wicked cool." He suddenly turned to face his twin who was doing nothing to hide the mirth on his face. "George, this gives me a hundred ideas. Think of the possibilities for Padfoots perfect helping hands. To the lab" Fred finished with a flawless rendition of the typical mad scientist laugh.

The twins had barely left the room when they both leaned back around the corner, "Oh yeah, hi Harry. We just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing before we opened the shop for the day."

"We will see you guy's latter, just tell Dumbledore to floo to the back room, we will have the area in front of the fireplace hazard free."

After the twins had departed for the second time Molly ushered Harry Remus, and her two children into the kitchen where she had sat up enough food to feed a small army. As delicious as breakfast was Harry anxious to continue on with his planned conversations.

Harry offered Mrs. Weasley a short but heartfelt thank you for breakfast before leading Ron and Ginny into the main seating room of the house. Harry knew that his conversation with Ginny needed to be handled delicately. After making the comment that he wanted to relax a little before Hermione arrived Harry went about setting everything up for a game of exploding snap in the middle of the floor.

As Harry was getting the card game ready he asked Ginny and Ron about their recovery from the department of Mysteries, and checked to see if either of them were having any adverse side effects from the fight. The young Weasley siblings assured Harry that they were perfectly fine. Harry had the distinct impression that Ron was holding something back, but Harry figured that he and Ron would have some time to talk privately later.

Shortly after game had started Harry pitched his voice low enough that and Ron, whose head were less than a foot away from him had difficulty hearing, "Ginny, nod your head if you can hear me." When Ginny had signaled that she could here him Harry continued, "We need to look like we are simply playing an intense game of snap, so try not to react visibly to what I am about to say. As soon as Hermione gets here I am going to take Ron, Hermione and I am going to go to a special room that Dumbledore has charmed to prevent eavesdroppers. I am going to share a secret that Voldemort would kill to get his hands on. Dumbledore knows that I am going to tell Ron and Hermione, but what he doesn't know is that I want you to know this secret too.

The less people that know who knows about this the safer everyone is, and I don't exactly trust everyone that Dumbledore trusts. So we are going to be a little deceptive today. I want Ron to fill you in on what I tell him and Hermione. If you are willing to help me after you hear what Ron tells you then there are things I could use your assistance with.

I am not hiding the fact that I trust you because I am in any way ashamed of your friendship. When we return to Hogwarts I am sure that Dumbledore will be watching the actions of everyone who knows this secret carefully, and I think it could prove to be vitally important to have someone operating under his radar.

I was going to wait and have Ron explain this later so that your reaction to being excluded from our meeting would be genuine, but I decided to trust to your acting abilities. This way I hope you can find some way to forgive us enough to enjoy our trip to Diagon Alley."

Harry was out of breath by the time he finished his speech to Ginny. In a normal voice Harry turned to Ginny, "Are you sure that you are ok, I mean you aren't exactly use to me leading you into redickulusly dangerous situations."

Ginny gave Harry a puzzled look before she realized what he was really asking, "Look Harry I followed you to the Ministry because I trusted that you were doing what you thought was right. That hasn't changed, I still trust you, and I would willingly follow you again, anything you need from me just ask."

Anything else that she would have said was interrupted by the sudden green flare of the fireplace followed by Hermione gracefully stepping out through the flame. Hermione threw her arms around first, Ron, then Harry. "Is everything alright? Did something happen?"

Harry grinned, "Calm down Hermione Nothing has happened I just need to speak with you and Ron for a little while." Harry then turned to Ginny "Ginny would you mind picking up the exploding snap cards while we go talk privately?"

Ginny looked at Harry and winked before stating in a firm voice, "Whatever you need to talk about is important enough that Dumbledore was willing to let you away from your relatives for a day, I want to here it too."

"Look Ginny, there are just certain things you don't need to know."

Ginny angrily interrupted, "I don't need to know, but they do, and why pray tell mister Potter do I not need to know this."

"Ginny you are too young," Harry decided to include one of the phrases that he found the most upsetting when said to him, "Just enjoy your childhood before it is gone."

Ginny spluttered, "Too young? Too young! I am the same age that you were last summer when you were so upset over everyone keeping secrets from you, were you too young then?"

Harry held up his hand in a placating gesture, "Ginny that was different."

Ginny violently kicked the stack of exploding snap cards. "The only difference Mister Potter is that you sir are a bloody hypocrite." Ginny spun on her heals and stormed out of the room.

Harry stared in shock at Ginny's retreating figure for a minute before motioning to Ron and Hermione, "Um, follow me, Dumbledore has a room set up for us."

When the three teens retreated to the small privacy room, Harry and Ron immediately broke out into suppressed laughter. Hermione on the other hand looked quite upset.

"Harry, I think you could have handled Ginny a little bit gentler, don't you agree Ron?"

Ron shook his head, and wiped tears of mirth from the corner of his eyes, "Nope, I don't think that could have gone any better if the two of them had a week to rehearse." He then pointed his finger accusingly at Harry, "You are lucky that she knew you were just pretending, if you had said those things to Ginny without warning her first we would be in a waiting room at Saint Mungo's waiting to see if you would pull through or not."

Hermione shot a scandalized look between Ron and Harry, "You mean to tell me that you planned that?"

Harry nodded, and instantly sobered up, "Yes Hermione I planned it. For the first time in my life I am actually planning things instead of just reacting to what goes on around me. You and Ron probably want to be sitting down for what I am about to tell you." Harry waited until both of his friends had taken their seats.

"This isn't fair to either one of you. I learned what I am about to tell you the night that Sirius died, and it wasn't until two days ago that started to come to grips with it. I should have told you two immediately and given you more time to make your decision, and for that I apologize."

Harry then launched into a complete accounting of everything he knew about the prophecy, including the conclusions he had come to regarding what it meant for his immediate future. When finally finished explaining the prophecy to his friends Harry let out a deep sigh of relief, it felt good to share that burden with his friends.

After a few minutes of silence Harry hesitantly started talking again. "So now that you know what I am up against, and where my path is taking me, you need to decide whether or not you want to walk that path with me. Before you make your decision just remember in the past we have all come close to dying just being in the way of Voldemort's schemes. The chance of dying goes up when we start talking about actively working against him, and that is what I plan on doing." After a brief pause Harry amended, "Um I mean I plan on working against Voldemort, not that I plan on dying, um just that I recognize it is a possibility."

Harry smiled wanly at his friends, "I want to give you some time to think before I ask you to try to make a decision, I apologize that I am not giving you longer than I am. Do you have any questions before I leave you to your thoughts?"

Hermione had silent tears running down her face, as she shook her head no, Ron however choked out one word, "Why?" He swallowed took a deep breath, and started again, "Why do you want Ginny to know all of this?"

Harry forced his eye's to meet Ron's, "I know she is your baby sister, but I think she has a right to know what she almost died for at the Department of Mysteries. Also I trust her, I trust her much the same way that I trust you. I know that no matter what you decide, whether to fight beside me or to distance yourself from the danger I will never have to worry about any of you giving this information to Voldemort or his followers. I plan on telling Neville as well. I haven't decided about Luna yet, I trust her but her way of viewing the world is so different from mine that I am not sure she will see how dangerous this secret really is."

Hermione spoke up suddenly, "Tell Luna, I find her extremely annoying half of the time, but she can keep a secret. If you trust her loyalty then tell her, she sees things so differently from anyone else that she might see answers no one else does."

Harry looked at the clock and noticed that it was a half hour before his meeting with McGonagall. "I have to meet Professor McGonagall in about a half our, I know it isn't much time but I need at least a partial answer before we go to Diagon Alley. I don't want you thinking that any decision you make today has to be final, you are always welcome to change your minds."

Harry had barely grabbed the door handle to leave when Ron's voice cut through the silence, "Stop Harry, He glanced over at Hermione, I don't need any time to think. Wild hippogryphs couldn't stop me from standing at your side if you will have me. I know I'm not the most powerful wizard, or the best student, but I want to be there when Voldemort bites it, and anything I can do to help you I will."

Hermione nodded, "Besides Harry this prophecy doesn't really change anything for us, we have known since our first year that Voldemort was going to keep trying to kill you. This just means that we need to help you train and fight instead of trying to keep you out of danger, and honestly I can say with absolute conviction after the Department of Mysteries that fighting death eaters is easier than trying to keep you out of danger."

Harry watched as some unspoken communications passed between Ron and Hermione, before Hermione continued. "So now that that is settled, and since you have had a little longer to think about this than us, what type of help do you need from us today?"

Harry reached into his pocked and pulled out three pieces of parchment each one appeared to be a numbered list, Harry placed the longest list on the table. "This is a list of my weaknesses and shortcomings. I want you and two to add to it anything that I have missed. I plan on trying to correct or compensate for as many of these as I can. I also have a list of some personal items that I would like to discuss with each of you privately. Harry glanced back at the clock on the wall, "Actually Hermione would you mind if Ron and I talked briefly for a moment, one of the things I wanted to discuss with him could impact my discussion with Professor McGonagall in a couple of minutes."

Hermione nodded, "sure Harry, I wanted to grab something to drink from the kitchen anyways. I will let you know when McGonagall arrives."

"Thank you Hermione, could you ask McGonagall to wait for me in the Library?"

As soon as Hermione had left Ron looked at Harry, "This talk is going to hurt isn't it mate."

Harry nodded, "Probably. First I need to know Ron when you said that you wanted to be an Auror were you being honest, or did that just sound like a cool job?"

"A little of both, It sounded like a neat job. But after being in a real fight I know that someone has to stop the dark wizards, and I want that someone to be me, only…" Ron's voice faded off.

"Only you didn't do well enough on your Owls to get into the classes you need to be an Auror?"

Ron's shoulders sagged, "Yeah, I should have listened to Hermione and studied more. I probably squeaked by in everything but potions. There is no way I got an O in that."

Harry looked sternly at Ron, "Ronald, look at me." When Ron had reluctantly raised his eye's to meet Harry's Harry continued. "I am going to do my best to become an Auror, and I can honestly think of no one I would trust more to have my back in the field than you. But if either of us is going to become an Auror we are going to have to study harder for the next two years then we have ever studied before, and that means starting now. No easy relaxed summer's just a lot of hard work are you willing to devote your life to that?"

Ron's eyes shown with a renewed determination, "Yes Harry, I am."

Harry smiled, "Good because I don't think I could do it alone. We need to keep each other motivated, but we also need to make sure that we take time for fun occasionally so we don't get burned out. We just need to make sure that we are taking breaks from studying to play, and not the other way around. I don't think that I got an O on my potions Owl either, but as long as we passed our owl we are allowed to take the NEWT test, so we need to study independently. That is what I want to talk to Professor McGonagall about."

Ron nodded, "We need to bring all of our grades up, but if we are really going to do this we need an ace card."

Harry was intrigued, "What did you have in mind?"

Ron leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "Another elective. I totally blew Divination, not that it would have helped with getting into the Auror Academy, and I don't think I passed History. Magical creatures is fun but it isn't the deep academic class we need. I think we need to either pick up Runes or Arithmancy."

Harry was stunned, he hadn't thought about adding another class, "But to take either of them at the newt level we would have had to have passed our the OWL, which can only be taken in the OWL year."

Ron grinned, there is a loophole though. "As long as we sit the test prior to the first day term the test is considered part of the previous year. I found out because Mom is harping on Fred and George to sit their newts. As long as they take them before term starts they will be listed as completing Hogwarts in the standard seven years, their dropout wont even show up on their school records."

Harry shook his head, "Do you really think that we can learn an entire course before the summer is out?"

Ron nodded vigorously, "remember those classes didn't start until third year, so we only have to learn three years instead of five. Plus like you said we only have to pass it with an A to be able to sit our newts. So if we can learn just that much we will have two more years to catch up. It won't be easy, especially with everything else we will be doing but I think we can do it."

Harry grinned, "I guess we just have to decide which class to take. I vote for Runes, Arithmancy just doesn't appeal much to me."

Ron let out a sigh of relief, "Good, I feel the same way."

Harry glanced at the clock and saw that he only had a couple of minutes before McGonagall's scheduled arrival, "Ron there is one other big thing that we need to talk about, and it is probably going to be extremely difficult for you to hear from me. I don't think we have time to really talk it out before I meet with McGonagall, do you want me to just bluntly say it and get it over with, or wait until we can really discuss it?"

Ron visibly braced himself before responding, "Hit me Harry, we don't have time to pussyfoot around each other anymore. You want a list of your weaknesses, well I guess I need to be willing to face mine too."

Harry grimly returned his friends stair, "Ron, I am rich. Get use to it. The war is going to cost money to finance, and if you are going to be with me you will have to accept that I will be buying you whatever I think you need to help you in the fight. You need to get over your jealousy and accept that it isn't charity, it is simple necessity."

Ron's face had gone white with anger, and his fists were pressed firmly into the tabletop, when Hermione opened the door. Ron's voice was strained, and thick with emotion as he hissed out his reply, "That. Wont. Be. Easy. For me. But. I. Will. Try."

Hermione hesitantly squeaked, "Mc. McGonagall is ready to see you Harry."

Harry grinned impishly at Hermione, "I don't think Ron is going to have any trouble helping you come up with more of my flaws."

Harry quickly crossed the library to greet Professor McGonagall, "Professor, I hope that meeting me wasn't too much of an inconvenience."

"Not at all Potter, I must say that I am actually rather intrigued as to what you desire."

Harry decided to start right in, "Professor do you remember what you said during my career counseling session?"

"Yes Harry, I promised to do whatever I could to ensure that you could pursue the career of Auror. Mister Potter I take my promises very seriously."

"I know you do professor, and that is why I felt that I needed to speak to you. I feel that I have failed to keep up my end of that arrangement, and therefore feel it is only right that I release you from any obligation you may feel towards me in regard to your promise."

Professor McGonagall was genuinely taken back by Harry's words, "Mister Potter, I was not aware that my promise came with any stipulations that you could have failed to adhere to."

"I believe that there was an implied commitment on my part that I diligently strive to achieve the grades necessary to become an Auror. At this time I do not believe that I have achieved the minimum grade to take Professor Snape's Newt level Potions class and if I am being honest this failure is due to a lack of focus and study on my part. If I had tried my best and still not achieved an outstanding then I would have gratefully accepted any assistance you could have offered in getting into the class. As it stands however I would feel deeply ashamed if you were to make any such efforts as I do not deserve them."

"I see Harry, does this mean that you have given up on becoming an Auror?"

"No Professor it does not."

"You are aware that potions is a required newt for entrance into the Auror Accademy, are you not?

"Yes Professor, I am aware of that. I plan on studying potions independently over the next two years and setting for the newts at the end of my seventh year."

"That is a bold ambition, not many independent study's at Hogwarts are successful."

Harry nodded at his professor, "I understand, that brings me to the second topic I wanted to discuss with you. I have a large favor to ask of you, two of them actually. Mind, you are under no obligation to agree to either one of these. First I must tell you that Ron is planning on joining me in this independent potions study, now I know that the two of us together is hardly more faith inspiring that either one of us alone, but it would be extremely beneficial if we had a designated are where we could actually brew the potions. As our head of house it is within your right to allow us use of one of the unused classrooms. The second favor I want to ask of you is we can set aside a set time either bi-weekly or monthly to discuss the progress of our study."

Professor McGonagall leaned back in her chair to contemplate Harry's request. "Well Mister Potter, I must say that I am rather surprised. I am quite willing to sign a room out to you and mister Weasly for potion brewing if we can find an acceptable classroom. As to the meetings, I must remind you that I am not a Potions Mistress. In fact it has been more than a decade since I brewed my last potion. I am not sure how much help I can give you in this area."

"I am not asking you to check our work or grade our research papers, but instead to make sure we are progressing at an acceptable rate. I ask this of you because I know that you will be honest in your assessment of our endeavor. I want to succeed at this, and I know I can count on you to tell me if you do not feel that I am putting in enough effort or progressing at an acceptable rate."

"Very well the, please present me with a plan of study at the beginning of the year and we shall go from there." Professor McGonagall's stern countenance suddenly softened into a warm smile, "Now while you are here Harry I have something that may be of interest to you." Having said that Professor McGonagall reached behind the plush chair she was sitting in and pulled out Harry's firebolt.

Harry was so excited to see his broom back that he didn't even think about the consequences of his next action as wrapped a very stunned transfigurations professor into a warm hug. When Harry released Professor McGonagall from his hug, she quickly turned away to hide the tears that had formed in her eye's.

"Oh, dear. Look at the time I really must be going Harry, do look out for yourself this summer."

Harry excitedly burst back into the small silenced room with his friends. He skidded to a stop as he saw that they were both hunched over his list of weaknesses, which had grown to double is previous length.

"Wow, am I really that bad?"

Hermione glanced up from where she was writing, "No, Harry. We are just trying to be as complete as possible. Some of the items on this list are things that probably only we know about you so I don't think you have to worry too much about Voldemort trying to exploit them. In fact there are only a handful that I think you need to immediately focus on."

"Well then, what are they?"

Hermione blushed, "Are you sure you don't want to have a go at me before Ron and I both attack you?"

Harry laughed, "No, go for it."

Hermione briskly started down the list, "Well you need to control your anger, when you get mad you do things without thinking, and Voldemort could use that to get to you. You need to stop reacting to everything that happens to you, you need to be able to take a step back, and plan your actions. Don't just rush headlong into danger."

Here Ron interjected, "But don't lose your ability to think on your feet, that could get you killed too."

Hermione nodded. "You really need to work on your time management skills. It is ok to take time to have fun and play games, but you waste a lot of time not doing much of anything. Your desire to learn some medical spells is probably a priority as well. I can't believe I am about to say this, but I wouldn't worry about your classes until we start school again some of these things on this list will take precedence."

Hermione jabbed her quill at one of the item on the list, "Especially this one. Oclumency, now that we know what Voldemort can do through your scar it is vital that you learn Oclumency. Not only that, but now that you know prophecy a skilled legemens could learn if from you, and that would be bad."

Ron interrupted Hermione again, "That means that you and I have to learn Occlumency as well, and Ginny will too."

Hermione Gasped, "Oh My gosh, I hadn't even thought about that, how could I have missed something so obvious."

"Easy Hermione, you were too busy focusing on what I needed to work on."

"Ok, your probably right Harry. Um, next would be, oh yeah, your glasses."

"What!, What about my glasses? I mean there isn't much I can do about that is there if I get rid of my glasses I am blind."

"That's exactly my point Harry. If you lose your glasses in a fight you are at a serious disadvantage, Unfortunately I don't think you can afford such an obvious physical weakness."

"Well what do you suggest I do? I talked to Madam Pomfrey about it, and she told me there isn't any healing magic to repair eyesight. Why do you think so many wizards and witches wear glasses?"

From the smug look on Hermione's face it was obvious that she had already thought of an answer to Harry's question. "Half of the time I am forced to remind you to think like a wizard Harry, but in this case I think you need to think like a Muggle." When it became apparent that Harry still had no idea what Hermione was talking about she continued. "You could have corrective surgery on your eyes. My father had it while I was at school, and he says it is one of the best things he has ever done."

Ron's eyes just about bugged out of his head, "You mean you want Harry to let some muggle take a knife and cut up his eye?"

"No Ronald, they use lasers in the type of surgery I am suggesting."

Ron appeared mollified by her response, "Ok then, um what's a Laser?"

"Think of a laser like a highly focused beam of light that is so powerful it can easily cut through."

Ron's scream cut Hermione off in mid sentence, "AAAARRRGGGGHHHH, Did you hear that Harry. Lasers cut, she wants some muggle quack to use a laser knife to cut up your eye's."

Harry was having difficulty containing his laughter as he watched the interaction of his two best friends. Hermione huffed, "It was just a suggestion Ron, Harry is smart enough to make his own decision regarding who is the quack and who isn't." Hermione's mumbled almost inaudibly, "At least a muggle doctor never accidentally removed all the bones from someone's hand."

"Ok, is there anything else? Or is that it?"

Hermione Hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Two more things. You need to get over your problem with your fame. I know you didn't ask for it but you have it, so use it. You are singularly the most famous person in our world Harry. You can use your fame to control the media, influence politics, and even alter the course of the war. The world needs a hero Harry, you've already decided to do the job, but the world needs to see it's Hero's. Lastly, and this ties into what I just said your appearance is a huge weakness."

Harry looked genuinely puzzled, "What is wrong with my appearance?"

"Honestly Harry, look at yourself. You look like a little boy, not a leader that inspires confidence. I'm sorry but you really need to put some muscle on your frame, but more importantly you need to eat more. You look half starved by the time you return to Hogwarts and that is normally after Mrs. Weasly has been force feeding you for a couple of weeks. You don't ever really look healthy until after Halloween. You can't really do anything about your height, that is what it is. But the way that you carry yourself, the way you present yourself, and the way you dress all need to change. When people see you their first impression needs to be one of confidence and presence. A lot of that is in choice of clothes and hair.

I love Remus, but it took me a long time to really accept that he was a skilled professor. His ragged clothes and worn demeanor made me keep thinking that if he was really good at his job he could afford some decent clothes. I know it isn't fair but most people judge others on how they look. I am not saying to become a fashion snob like Malfoy, but if you would make an extra effort to dress in clean Quality clothes it would make your job a lot easier."

"Alright Hermione, but if that is true for me it is true for all of us. You and Ron need to inspire the same type of confidence and trust that you claim I should."

Hermione hung her head a little, "I know. I should spend a little bit of time with my hair, and maybe even pay attention to lavender when she talks about fashion, If you are willing to make the effort, then so am I."

"I guess that I need some help in this area as well. Hermione, if you could would be willing to help me pick out some suitable clothes I would appreciate it." Ron's face turned an ashen gray as he continued, "And Harry, I will probably need some help purchasing whatever Hermione picks out.

Harry's pride in his friend swelled to new heights when he heard Ron's words. He knew how hard it was for Ron to accept, let alone ask for financial help. In light of Ron's effort Harry felt that he really didn't have much choice so with a little sigh of resignation agreed, "Ok, Hermione I will do my best to get over my dislike of fame, but you are going to have to help me learn how to use it to my advantage.

Harry looked at the clock and silently cursed, "We have less then twenty minutes before Dumledore will return to take us Diagon Alley." Harry turned towards Ron, I still need to talk to Hermione for a couple of minutes and then we still need to make plans to maximize our shopping trip. How about you grab Ginny she can help us plan our shopping."

Ron hardly waited for Harry to finish talking before he was out the door and looking for his little sister. Leaving Harry and Hermione alone.

"Hermione we don't have time to tiptoe around and discuss things the way we probably should so I am sorry if what I am about to say hurts your feeling. In all honesty I only had three items that I identified that you need to work on, and a couple of favors to ask.

First of all, you are too bossy. Ron and I sometimes need that, but the way you present things turns people away, and makes it so they don't listen to you as much as they should. You are one of the most intelligent people I know, but you need to work on your people skills. If we are going to win we are going to need a lot of help, and you can be either our greatest ally in recruiting friends or our greatest enemy."

Harry paused, but was surprised when all Hermione did was nod in acceptance. He then continued. "Books are great tools, but you need to remember that books were written by witches and wizards just like us, and most of them not as smart as you. Just because it is written down doesn't make it true. You are too trusting of everything you see written. Finally you place too much blind faith in authority figures. I need you to use your analytical abilities more and don't be afraid to be critical of what we are taught in school."

Hermione silently nodded once more, although Harry could see the welling of tears in her eyes. "I am going to rely heavily on you to help with research, both over the summer, and during the school year. Please don't sacrifice your health or your sanity in these projects, take some time off of studying. Along the same vein Ron and I will try to pay more attention to you this year, if you don't think we are working hard enough tell us, if we don't listen hex us."

Hermione smiled slightly, "Ok, Harry I will try."

Ron and Ginny returned shortly and the four of them began a hurried discuss What they would need to accomplish at Diagon alley, and how they should spit up to do it.


	3. Chapter 3 Shopping Spree

Guess what

Guess what? I am not J.K. Rowling, so I guess I don't own any of this.

The Obligatory Diagon Alley shopping Spree

Harry stumbled out of the floo, and into the crowded backroom of the Weasly Wizarding Wheazes store. He looked around him in mute awe at all of the half finished pranks and projects that lay strewn about the room. There was hardly room for the human occupants of the room to stand without brushing against, or stepping on some prank or other. Harry noticed that even Dumbledore looked fearful of accidentally triggering one of the twins pranks.

Harry had barely gained his balance when Fred entered from the front of the shop, "Ah, do you have the potion good fellow?"

Dumbledore pulled a large metal flask out from one of the voluminous pockets of his robe, and handed it over to the twin. "Improved Pollyjuice, lasts for two hours at a time instead of one."

Fred stared wistfully at the potion in his hand for a moment, "Ah the fun I could have with this, but alas today it serves a nobler purpose." With that Fred deftly plucked a few hairs from his head and dropped them into the flask before handing the flask to Harry.

Harry couldn't suppress his grin, "My disguise is Fred?"

Fred clapped Harry on the back, "bloody brilliant isn't it? You are a Weasly in all but name anyhow, might as well look like one for a while. Most people can't tell me and George apart, so they won't know which one you are. Either George or myself will be working in the upstairs shop until you return so. That way you don't have to worry about there being three of visible at the same time. Otherwise no one should be at all surprised to see one of use strolling along the alley shopping and cavorting with our family, and the good Miss Granger."

Fred sized Harry up and down, Of course you will have to change clothes, before you are seen in public. I have a reputation to protect mind you. Come with me I will get you set up in no time."

Before Fred could drag Harry off, Professor Dumbledore stopped them for a moment, "Harry, most of the shops will be closed by seven, so I ask that you are ready to return home from headquarters by eight. Now try to stay out of trouble I have things that require my attention now, so if you are unable to accomplish everything you feel you must let me know and I will try to schedule another visit."

Harry followed Fred out of the back storeroom and up a small stairway into the upper rooms of the building that housed Fred and George's joke shop. Before he Drank the Polyjuice potion Harry Turned to Fred.

"I had a request that I didn't want Dumbledore to know about." When Harry saw what he had Fred's attention he continued. "Do you think it would be possible for you and George to get me a copy of the actual laws regarding the reasonable restriction for underage wizardry?"

Fred smiled broadly, "Harry my good man, I can do you one better than that. Unless I miss my guess completely it's not the law you are interested, but the loopholes." Fred hardly paused when Harry's face lit up in anticipation, "Yes my young boy George and I spent many a long hour combing through those old and dusty laws looking for anything we could use to our advantage, and since we did a good bit of our inventing during the summers prior to coming of age, and never once received a reprimand from the Ministry I might add, I believe this is one are where I know exactly what one can and cannot get away with.

First of all Harry, the restriction only governs intentional magic done with a wand; although you have to contest large enough instances of wandless magic. More importantly the restriction only covers magic done by you and directed at something other than yourself. You can actually cast spells on yourself to your hearts content legally.

Here is where it gets tricky though, the ministry has trouble determining what type of spells are cast and who is casting them, which means that in someplace with lots of magic like the burrow you can get away with a lot. However since you are the only magical being in residence at your home the ministry will be alerted every time you cast a spell.

Your best bet is magical items and potions. With a potion or say a portkey or floo powder you aren't casting any spells. The magic is inherent in the item you are dealing with. You could safely, well safe from the ministry anyways, use any item in our joke shop, and not only will the ministry not be able to charge you, they will be quite unable to detect it. The same goes for brewing and using potions. Any thing you have that is charmed in any way prior to returning to your residence can be used.

Oh and Harry, the ministry can't even find headquarters, let alone detect what type of magic is being done there, so at least while you are there you are above and beyond the law. Oh, and if you do get in trouble the ministry can only recall the last five spells cast from a wand, I expect a half dozen Lumos' would erase any proof of larger more exotic spells that you wish to hide from prying eyes. So, any questions?"

"Just one, are you absolute certain about this, not trying to pull an evil prank on me?"

"Harry, I am wounded nigh unto death. I would prank you in a heartbeat, but I would never stand in the way of a dedicated rule breaker. I swear on George's life that I am absolutely certain everything I told is the truth, pranksters honor."

It was with a great deal of trepidation that Harry, Pollyjuiced to look like Fred, joined Ron and Bill in the front room of the joke shop. Harry felt completely ridiculous in a bright green Dragon-hide vest with purple shirt, and yellow pants.

George pulled Harry aside as soon as he entered the shop, "Confidence Harry, you have to wear it with confidence. If someone points and laughs, don't blush or hide, smile and wave. Remember they aren't laughing at you, they are laughing at one of the proprietors of Weaslys' Wizard Wheezes, and we live for laughter. Now go get em tiger."

Ron nodded to Harry as he approached, "Um Fred, I hope you don't mind, but Charlie, Ginny, and Hermione went ahead to the bookstore. I told them that we would join them once we took care of some other quick business."

Bill hung back slightly to allow Ron and Harry to talk in privacy as the three of them made their way towards Gringotts bank. Before they had arrived at the bank Harry had filled Ron in on the information he had gleaned from his conversation with Fred. Ron was a little disgruntled that he could have been getting away with magic for years, but agreed that knowing exactly what they could and couldn't do was greatly beneficial.

When they reached Gringotts bill led Ron and Harry not towards the goblin tellers but instead down a short hallway to a rather imposing looking door. "Bill, what are we doing?" Harry asked before Bill could knock on the door.

Bill looked with shock at the young wizard, "Dumbledore said that you had some personal business with the bank, and that Senior Manager Gragsnar was expecting you. Since you headed strait to the bank I thought you knew."

Harry shook his head, "I have some business here that I wanted to take care of, but I didn't discuss it with Dumbledore. I have no idea what he has up his sleeve."

Bill shrugged, "Well Gragsnar is expecting you, and he knows that you are polyjuiced to boot. Would you like Ron and I to wait out here for you?"

After hesitating for just a moment, Harry answered, "Bill are you willing to keep whatever personal business I discuss here secret, even from Dumbledore?"

Bill answered instantly, "Of course Harry. I am an employee of the bank and as such am under a rather powerful guise to ensure that any bank business I overhear is confidential between Gringotts and the customers."

"Then I would prefer if you and Ron would stay with me."

Bill Raised his and firmly rapped on the door three times. The echo of his knock had barely died away when a harsh voice from the other side commanded, "Enter."

Harry and Ron followed Bill into the small office. The office was Spartan in its decoration. There were no windows, pictures or indeed anything to lend pleasantness to the décor. What there was however was A large and formidable desk with six simple strait backed wooden chairs in front of it. Behind the desk in an only slightly more elaborate wooden chair sat a grim faced Goblin.

The Goblin, (Harry could only assume it was Gragsnar) raised a strange looking golden contraption, which resembled a miniature Periscope with a small box attached to its bottom, to his eye. Instantly multiple tiny golden arms with different colored lenses appeared from the box at the base of the contraption. One by one these arms slid their lenses in front of the main lens of the Periscope then retracted and returned to the its place within the box.

After each of the lenses had had a turn Gragsnar, apparently satisfied, deposited the device in one of the drawers of his des, and turned to look directly at Harry with a predatory gleam in his eye. "Mister Potter, have a seat. I am satisfied that you are who you are and are under no enchantments other than the potion of disguise you have consumed. Your two companions are likewise free of any enchantment that could be used against you. You and I have business" Gragsnar's hands rubbed together greedily as he emphasized the word business. "Would you prefer privacy perhaps?"

"If it is alright with you sir, I would like my friends to stay."

Gragsnar looked upset as he snapped, "It makes no difference to me boy." He visibly got himself under control before continuing, "This is rather unusual, but I gather from the chief warlock's intercession that little in your life is usual. As you are no doubt aware, one Sirius Black is dead. Normally you would not be aware of any of the contents of his will prior to your sixteenth birthday. However being as how it may be difficult for you to return to these premises promptly on your birthday I will share the generalities of the will with you. You can expect an owl after your birthday with a more complete accounting of not only Mr. Blacks will, but also a Mr. and Mrs. Potters will as well.

You are one of the main beneficiaries of the black will, and as such have received a significant increase. As with the case of your parents you will not have access to any non liquid assets until after your birthday. With the exception of this letter from Mr. Black, which Gringotts has determined to have no physical value."

Having said that Gragsnar placed a large envelope marked with a black paw print on the desk in front of him. As for the accessible portion of the estate, the appropriate percentage of liquid funds has already been added to the vault you currently have access too. That concludes my business with you. Since you are here, there is no reason for you to have to stand in line in the lobby, so is there anything else Gringotts can do for you?"

Harry was still reeling from the rather callous way in which the goblin had mentioned Sirius' death, but managed to pull himself together enough to bring up the business he had originally intended to take care of at Hogwarts. "Well, um is it possible to grant someone else access to my vault?"

"You can take anyone into your vault that you desire, so long as you are with them. Until you are sixteen you cannot grant anyone entry into your vault without your physical presence."

"If you don't mind my asking, why sixteen?"

Gragsnar leaned back in his chair and showed rows of sharp pointy teeth in a twisted facsimile of a smile, "Because, by goblin law if you are not bright enough at sixteen to successfully handle your own wealth you don't deserve to have any. Sixteen is the age of majority in the goblin world, and Gringotts is a goblin establishment."

Harry thought for a moment before asking, "I guess I have two questions for you, the first relates to my previous query, Since I cannot grant entry to my vault, is it there any way that I can allow someone besides myself access to my funds? The second item of business is that I plan on making a number of purchases of amounts that would be tedious for me count out and possibly even difficult to carry. So I was wondering if there is a way to access my funds for large purchases without physically collecting the gold from my vault?"

Gragsnar steeple his hands under his chin and half closed his eyes as he thought for a minute. He then snapped his fingers. "Ahh, yess. I think I have the an answer that will work quite well. The second problem is the easiest, but I believe the answer to the first dilemma can actually be found in the solution to the second."

Gragsnar Opened one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out a small pad of loosely bound parchment. "This is a Gringotts draft book, it is self authorizing so that businesses will know that your account can actually handle the withdraw. There is a two Galleon charge for every draft used," Here Gragsnar chuckled, "The draft book is actually free though there is a small five galleon fee for the initial activation of the service. Now here is where things get interesting. You can authorize another witch or wizard to write drafts against your account by both parties signing the front cover of the draft book. I would suggest a separate draft book for each party, and be warned don't sign the cover of your own book. That would just allow anyone who found it to sign it and make withdraws. So how many books do you need?"

Harry answered Immediately "Three for now, I may want to set more up different arrangements after my birthday."

"Of course, after you are sixteen you can set up attached vaults and organization funds and all sorts of interesting financial options. I will send you a full list of the services offered by Gringotts, after all you do have a rather sizeable account with us. Now is there anything else you desire?"

"I need to make a trip to my vault, and I need to change some Galleons over to muggle money. Also I was wondering if there was a way to find out how much money is in my vault?"

Gragsnar nodded, "We have to go to the vault to activate the draft books anyways, if you look at the wall just to the right of the door to your vault you will always find a list of the contents of the vault. Now how much Muggle money did you want, we have different exchange rates for small medium and large transfers."

"I was thinking maybe a thousand pounds or so."

Gragsnar leaned forward, "I shouldn't tell you this but if you plan on making multiple such exchanges it would save you money to just get five thousand now, and save it. Or even put it in a muggle bank, not that those can be trusted mind you, always getting robbed or going under like they are, and you have the Galleons to spare so I doubt the exchange will hurt you. It is your decision mind."

Harry nodded, "Ok, five thousand pounds then."

Gragsnar opened yet another draw in his desk, and withdrew five stacks of 20 pound notes and placed them on his desk on top of Sirius' letter. He then withdrew a sheet of parchment and wrote the Muggle sum on it before sliding it across the desk to Harry, "Sign here and I will make the appropriate withdraw from you account."

Harry signed the parchment, then looked at the stacks of notes with dismay when he realized that they weren't going to fit in his pocket. Gragsnar however seemed to anticipate Harry's dilemma and pulled out a plain looking muggle envelope which he proceeded to stuff the stacks of notes into. When he was done the envelope still appeared quite empty from the outside, and Harry was relieve to find he could easily fold it and place it in his pocket.

Harry and company, accompanied by a junior goblin, had visited his vault, from which they had retrieved a rather large bag of gold. They then activated the three draft books, one of which was immediately signed over to Ron, and left Gringotts. Standing in the street in front of Gringotts, Harry could tell that Ron was upset, and attempting to hide it.

"Ron are you ok?"

Ron shook his head, "I'm trying mate, I really am, but I can't just turn of the way I feel about certain things." He absent mindedly kicked his toe at the street for a bit before continuing, "Why did you want me to come with you?"

Harry considered his words before responding, "If I could only allow one person access to my funds I wanted it to be you. I didn't know if I could do that, or if the person I was granting access would have to be with me. I know that wasn't easy for you, but I really appreciate it."

"Why me mate? Why wouldn't you have chosen," Ron looked around to make sure they weren't being overheard, "Someone smarter and female?"

"Two reasons, first you are probably going to have easier access to the alley the she would in case we run into something we need to buy over the summer, and secondly as brilliant as she is, you have lived in the wizarding world your whole life. You probably have a better idea of what things should cost, and won't get cheated. Besides I trust you completely."

Ron gave Harry a half hearted grin, "Alright mate, enough of this touchy feely nonsense we have things to do, and not much time to do them in, lead on good chap."

Bill who had watched this exchange with a mixture of curiosity, concern, and even a little jealousy that Ron had such close friends, chose this moment to interrupt. "Ok, where to next boy's?"

"I'm not quite sure Bill, I need a new trunk, "preferably one that's bigger on the inside then it is on the outside to hold all of our purchases for the day, then we need to get to Flourish and Blots."

Bill grinned in that case follow me, I know just where you need to go. Bill led Harry and Ron down one of the small side streets that split off of the main Alley, and into a small shop with the name of 'Empty Spaces'. Quite contrary to the name the interior of the shop was quite full, almost cluttered with boxes, trunks, tubes and indeed containers of almost every size and shape imaginable.

The proprietor of the shop was a rather rotund Wizard with an absolutely bald head, not even an eyebrow or eyelash. His robe had embroidered on the front of it M. Caldershak, which Harry took to be the man's name. He immediately hurried over to the three potential customers, "Ah yes, need somewhere to put some'in eh? Well you came to the right place you name it I can find a container to contain it, and if I can't I would be delighted to make one. So what can I do for you?"

Harry spoke, "I need a trunk that is bigger on the inside then on the outside."

"Delightful, that narrows it down a bit, but not enough, lets see. Do you want one large space on the inside, or multiple compartments?"

"Um, compartments I guess."

The Round wizard rubbed his hands together, "Wonderful, Wonderful. Now do you want each compartment bigger than the outside of the trunk? Or more importantly do you need to be able to reach all the spaces in the compartments from the outside of the trunk, or do you want a trunk you must climb into?"

"I would prefer not to have to climb into the trunk sir"

The Wizard looked a little disappointed at this answer but continued, "What type of items will you be wanting to store in your trunk good sir?"

"Well, clothes and personal items like my broom of course, but one of the main things will be lots of books. And probably quite a few potions supplies." Harry almost forgot to include the potion supplies."

As soon as Harry had finished speaking the owner of the shop rushed over to one of the large piles of trunks that lined one of the walls, and started levitating trunks out of his way, after a few minutes of random trunks flying around the room he seemed to find what he was looking for. He quickly returned to his customers, this time dragging a medium sized black Trunk on wheels.

"Yes here we are, I think this will do quite well. Why if I didn't know better I would think that I had created as a special order just for you. Let me show you one of the finest five compartment storage devices I have ever crafted." The portly wizard indicated six gold buttons on the front of the trunk. "You see that the T button is depressed, that is for transportation. It locks down all of the other functions of the trunk stabilized the weight to about five stone which while not exactly feather weight should be considerable lighter then all of the contents especially if you manage to fill this beauty. Transportation mode also has these lovely wheels, and a pull strap, which I daresay makes it quite manageable."

"Now the second button here is marked with a C." The wizard tried to push the C button a couple of times to no avail before bursting out with a powerful belly shaking laugh, "Oh dear me, I don't pay much attention to myself do I, of course like I said when the travel mode is engaged the other functions are locked out." He then pressed the T button which popped out at the same time as the pull strap and the wheels retracted. "Ah yes, that should do it now where was I. C yes C for closet."

This time when the C button was depressed the trunk changed shape, gradually growing taller, until it stood about seven foot tall. When it had reached it's full height the front split down the middle to about three foot off the floor, the 'trunk' continued to transform until it resembled nothing more then a wardrobe complete with two full length drawers and two smaller drawers at its base. When the container maker opened the front doors of the wardrobe.

The inside of the wardrobe had what looked to be a standard hanging rod, with the exception of a couple of strange handles sticking out of the rod. Above the hanging rod was a flat shelf. The wizard continued his explanation "of course there is plenty of room here for all of you wizarding hats." He indicated the shelf as he spoke. "No doubt you are wondering about these handles are you not? Well they are part of my more ingenious design I dare say." Having said that he grabbed one of the handles and slid it towards the end of the wardrobe.

Now, I am sure you noticed that it wasn't the handle that moved so much as the entire hangar rod. There is approximately four times as much hanging room available as is visible, just don't hang anything on the rod on the outside of the red handles that represent each end of the rod. I never quite did figure out what happens to items placed there, but I have failed to find a way to retrieve them. Also I wouldn't climb into the portable closet, I did that once with one of my designs and still have nightmare to this day, not to mention when I finally did manage to free myself I had lost every scrap of hair I ever had."

He smiled jovially again "Now enough of that. On to the next feature, now where did those buttons go. Hmm I hope they aren't on top of this blasted thing. Ah, here they are. It appears that on this model the control buttons relocate themselves to the right hand side of the device for easy access." He pressed the C button again, returning the object to the size and shape of a normal trunk.

"I probably should point out that if none of the features are activated, even though it looks like a trunk it is not. In fact in standby mode it is quite impossible to open the darn thing. Also if you desire you can go straight from one function to another without visiting standby mode in between. Now you see this next button here is labeled L. That is the portable library function."

Harry more than half expected the trunk to undergo another extreme transportation, and was a little surprised that the only visible alteration was that the seam of the trunk moved down to about half-way down the trunk. Caldershak immediately opened the lid of the trunk, which instead of opening completely locked into position perpendicular to the floor. The bald wizard then surprised Harry by kicking the front of the base of trunk so that if fell flat against the floor. He then stepped into the trunk bent down and firmly grasped both sides of the lid and straightened up, pulling the lid with him until it was about chest high. At this point Harry saw that what he thought of as the lid section was supported by two long wooden poles that attached it to the base, the inside of the lid held three books.

"Hmm, well tickle me pink, I wondered where those had gone too. Hmm, yes as you can see this section of the trunk is similar to a bookshelf, guaranteed not to drop books when you close the lid. Now it functions much like the closet feature, except no handles. Just this little bar hear towards the top. Now If you see these little whatsits right here." He indicated what looked like small half black half white refrigerator magnets. "These can be used as an index which is helpful if you put a great deal of books in here, it should hold over a thousand standard sized wizarding tomes. To mark a spot on the bookrack simply break the marker in half and press the black half onto the shelf, you can write on the white half so you know what it marks. To call that section of book shelf back simply slide the white half into this little slot here, and watch your hand, the bookshelf will slide down until the desired spot is front and center. The shelf is also charmed so that books will not fall over when placed on it, no matter how thin the book."

He then flipped the lid back into the closed position, which looked rather odd with it a couple of feet above the rest of the trunk. The craftsman was just about to push the lid down when Ron interrupted him, "Don't you want your books?"

"Oh, dear me. Yes, yes, I had plumb forgotten about them already thank you young man."

After retrieving his books the shopkeeper quickly returned the trunk to its base setting, before pressing the next gold button which was labeled with a D. This time the transformation of the trunk was even more pronounced than with the closet feature as the trunk not only grew in height but expanded in width quite a bit as well. When It was done changing It was a large dresser type item with dozens and dozens of small drawers, as ell as a few large ones. There was also a large open section big enough to store multiple cauldrons.

The portly wizard rubbed his hands together happily, "Yes this should do perfectly, mind you potions ingredients wasn't quite what I had in mind when I designed this feature. No, if memory serves me right I originally designed this trunk for an elderly witch who was quite obsessed with jewelry, and this was meant to hold everything from headdresses to rings for her toes, and keep everything separated and organized. Alas she died before she could claim it, though to be honest with you not many were sad to see her go. I for one would much rather see this go to a practical purpose like potions then to appease the vanity of an old biddy. Not much magical about this though, what you see is what you get. Although I guess I should point out that the drawers are about twice as deep as they appear."

Having said that the proprietor of the shop returned the trunk to travel mode. "The other two buttons are marked M1 and M2, and are basic trunk compartments with absolutely nothing of note about them except that they are marginally larger on the inside then the out, nothing too dramatic though. So tell me does this satisfy your needs?"

Harry let out a laugh, "This is far better than I could have ever envisioned, I might go so far as to say that it is perfect."

"Good, then all we have to decide on is price, let me see." With that the portly fellow shuffled off behind his counter, and rummaged through some papers before he found the one he wanted. He then listed a price that caused Ron to blanch, but which Harry was more than happy to pay.

By the time that they left the shop Harry was beginning to feel the effects of the Polyjuice wear off, and had to force himself to take another drink of the foul liquid. With shock he realized that he and Ron had taken two hours for what was originally suppose to be a quick trip. "We are so late, they are going to kill us."

Ron laughed, "No, Ginny is going to kill us. We left Hermione in a store with books for two hours, she will be delighted."

Quickly the three of them hurried towards flourish and blots to meet up with Ginny Hermione and Charlie. When they got to the store Ginny rushed up to them with a look of worry on her face, "What took you so long? I think Hermione's gone mad, and the storekeeper is about ready to throw us out."

Harry recoiled in shock, "What could Hermione be doing in a bookstore to warrant getting thrown out?"

"Come and have a look." Ginny replied.

Ron and Harry followed Ginny into the store while Bill stayed outside with Harry's trunk, evidently stores frowned on you bringing items like the trunk into them as they made it too easy to steal. When Harry and Ron entered the store they saw Hermione standing resolutely between a store clerk and a number of rather large stacks of books.

"I told you before I am going to buy these, now will you stop trying to put them back and leave me alone until I am done shopping!" They heard Hermione exclaim in exasperation.

The clerk who appeared to be at the end of his rope as well snapped back, "For two hours I have watched you take book after book off of our shelves and stack them on the floor here, and I am tired of it. Do you know who has to put them back when you are done playing? Me! So pick what you want to buy, buy it and leave and stop wasting my time."

Harry decided to intervene before the argument could get any more heated. Pulling his new Gringotts draft book out of one of his pockets he stepped between the clerk and Hermione. "Did you find everything we need?"

Hermione took a deep breath and replies sweetly, "Almost, I should be done but this _gentleman_ insists on interrupting me."

Harry turned towards the clerk, "Sir if you could start ringing these up for me I would appreciate it my friends and I have just a little more shopping to do, but we should be finished by the time you are ready to have the bill totaled."

"Of course, Right away sir." The clerk gushed at Harry, "And let me say that your shop is my favorite one in the alley. If you ever want to take on some help let me know. I would work for you over this place in a heartbeat. I absolutely love your fireworks, I set some off almost every weekend, I am sure you have seen me in your shop on multiple occasions."

For a moment Harry wondered what the nutter was on about until he remembered that to everyone else he looked like one of the owners of Weaslys' Wizard Wheezes. Harry smiled brightly and responded, "Of course, I new I should recognize you. Say, you wouldn't fancy a sweet would you?" Harry asked as he reached into the pocket of his brightly colored trousers.

The clerk laughed and held up his hands, "No thank you. One of you already caught me with that, I know better then to eat any of your candy while I am at work. I doubt my boss would be to pleased if he stopped in and found a large canary minding the till."

Harry was glad for the answer since he didn't actually have any of Fred and George's sweets with him. He turned to Ron, "Would you mind grabbing a couple of quidditch books along with those other ones you and I need."

Ron looked blankly at Harry for a minute before disappearing, not towards the quidditch section but rather into the ancient runes section of the store. Harry hurried back to the potions shelves, and grabbed a dozen large tomes along with multiple copies of the newt level potions text. that looked like they might have the type of information he needed.

When the clerk had finished ringing up their significant purchase Hermione gasped, and look at Harry apologetically, "Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away."

Harry grinned as he filled out the bank draft and handed it to the clerk, "Not a problem. A bet is a bet, and this will teach Gred and I not to make wagers with any of Ronnie's friends if we aren't positive we can win."

Harry was smiled gratefully when Charlie stepped forward and offered to levitate the numerous bags of books out of the store for them. When they were safely outside Hermione turned to Harry and whispered, "I really am sorry, I just got carried away, and you never know what we will need in order to do you know what to you know who."

Harry smiled warmly at his friend, "Don't worry, it is better to be over prepared than under prepared, but you know I am only letting you take a couple of those books with you when you go home. I want you to enjoy the summer, not to sequester yourself in your room in an attempt to read an entire library."

Harry decided that he didn't want to take the time to shelve all of the books yet, so he opened one of the two trunk compartments and stuffed in all of the multiple bags of books. Even with the compartment being about three times as large inside as it was outside it could barely contain all of their purchases so far. The six friends decided to grab a quick bite at Florean fortescu's Ice-cream parlor, which Bill and Charlie insisted on paying for.

After eating, Harry split his bag of gold with Ron, who along with Ginny and Bill split off to buy wand holsters, a few dark arts detectors, some miscellaneous items that Harry and Ron thought would be useful, and two brooms. The brooms were for Ginny and Hermione, and Harry new that it would be a fight to get either one of them to accept the gift, although it would be for completely different reasons.

Harry, Hermione and Charlie rushed off to the apothecary, where Hermione was surprised to see that Harry wanted a more comprehensive set of potions ingredients that was included in the standard newt potions kit. Eventually he was satisfied with an enhanced ingredient kit that claimed to include everything a traveling master potions brewer would likely need. The witch that was minding the shop didn't seem at all surprised to see 'Fred' purchasing such a large amount of potions ingredients. Although when Harry included an owl order catalog she seemed rather puzzled.

"Not sure what you could possibly need that for dear, you are just down the street after all, and you no I don't mind opening up special for one of my best customers."

Harry did his best to mimic one of the twins famous mischievous grins, "We are thinking of expanding to other locations, but we want to keep our purchases with our favorite suppliers."

The elderly witch actually blushed before shooing them out of her shop with their purchases in tow. Harry added his purchases to the second miscellaneous trunk compartment and silently thought to himself that he might have to do some rearranging before the day was done just to make everything fit.

The next shop on Harry's list was the cauldron shop where he purchased a number of cauldrons in different sizes and of different material.

After the Cauldron shop Harry dragged Hermione into Eylopes Owl Emporium. Gesturing widely at the store he commanded imperiously, "Choose wisely, for an owl is more than a mail carrier."

Hermione looked at Harry with wide eye's "Harry I couldn't. They only let you have one pet at school and I would hate to have to chose between an owl and Crookshanks."

"Hermione, you need to be able to reach Ron or I without waiting for one of us to write you. As for school, I thought that you could leave the owl at home, that way your parents will be able to easily send letters to you whenever they desire." Harry suddenly faltered when he thought of the comments his uncle frequently made about the owls, "Um that is if your parents don't think that having an owl in their house it too strange."

Hermione Suddenly threw her arms around Harry in a quick hug, "That's a wonderful idea, and I am sure my parents will be delighted. I honestly don't know why I didn't think of it myself."

A short while later Harry, Hermione, and Charlie exited the emporium with a large cage containing a beautiful golden brown Owl, and a large assortment of owl treats and food. Bill suggested that they drop the owl of at the joke shop until they were ready to leave, Hermione reluctantly agreed. After a brief but stern warning against upsetting her new pet Hermione left her owl in the care of George.

They were just about to leave when Ron and Ginny(who must have seen them enter the shop) burst into the WWW carrying to large broom shaped packages and a couple of bags. After adding these purchases to trunk Harry decided to store it in the back room as well, reasoning that all of the bulky purchases were complete and they could carry the sacks for the rest of the items.

Ron groaned when Harry led the six of them into Madam Malkins, "Harry, you said we weren't going to buy clothes since we will probably grow over the summer."

Hermione jabbed Ron in the ribs with her elbow causing him to wince, "Ronald Weasly, Keep your voice down when you use his name, you never know who might overhear." Hermione hissed at Ron, who smiled apologetically.

Harry answered, "I'm not really planning on buying anything here, but it just dawned on me that I may not have all of you here to help me choose my purchases when I return at the end of the summer, so I wanted some input from Ginny and Hermione today.

Ron nodded in understanding, while Ginny and Hermione looked near ecstatic at the thought of telling Harry what to buy. The two girls led them directly towards the section of school robes. Harry was shocked as they started explaining the difference in cut and fabric styles, especially since to Harry all of the school robes looked identical.

Madame Malkin approached the group and politely asked if she could help them to which Harry quickly responded, "I'm sorry, but we probably aren't going to buy anything today. Our friend Harry, is planning on getting a full new wardrobe towards the end of the summer and asked if we could stop in to get some ideas for him. The truth is that he is completely lost when it comes to fashion sense."

Madame Malkin looked aghast at Harry for a moment before replying, "Well I hope that the young man in question chooses a more subdued look then you have."

Ginny laughed, "Don't worry Madam Harry actually asked that Hermione and I advise him on his clothes. I honestly don't even know why Fred decided to tag along, he is rather hopeless in this area himself."

Madam Malkin tried to hide a smile behind her hand, "Well if you have any questions please feel free to ask."

Harry suddenly had the beginnings of a new idea, and stopped the shop owner before she could leave. Actually I do have a question. Do you ever do special orders?"

"Well I don't do much designing anymore, but if you bring me a design I can make just about anything"

Harry nodded, "Thank you."

When Madam Malkin had moved on to another part of the store, Harry felt Five pair of eyes on him. Hermione finally broke the silence, "What exactly do you have in mind?"

Harry grinned "Just an idea for an idea, I will let you know when I flesh it out a bit."

During the exhausting hour in Madam Malkin's Harry had almost forgot to take his next drink of Polyjuise potion, and had actually Partially transformed to the horror of his friends. His hair had gone back to black, and his scar had become visible. Unfortunately the incident was witnessed by multiple people which had caused Harry to have to think on his feet.

After taking a quick swig from his flask Harry looked directly at Ron and declared as if it was the most natural think in the world, "I thought I had it that time, Still can't seem to make the Potter Pills work right."

One of the witnesses to the partial transformation interrupted Harry giving him just the opening he needed, "What are Potter Pills"

Harry clapped the young man on his back and in his best impression of Fred stated, "Ah, I am glad you asked. Potter Pills, if we ever perfect them, will be in the next line of prank confections offered At Weaslys' Wizarding Wheezes. Imagine being able to look like Harry Potter any time you wanted. Mind you it won't be a complete transformation, just hair, face, and scar, maybe eyes if we can figure them out. Mind you it's the scar that's giving us the most trouble right now. As soon as it appears it feels like someone is driving a red hot poker into your head. Great for torture, bad for business. The antidote to the transformation works great though. Oh and when they do come on line we will of course also carry a line of Harry Potter Glasses for the true Purist."

By the time Harry was done talking he was pretty sure that everyone was convinced of his story and felt rather smug until Ginny Whispered in his ear, "You know when George hears about this he will actually try to make your Potter Pills."

Harry Gulped in panic at the thought of entering the great hall to see hundreds of Harry Potters staring back at him.

The group finally made their way out Madam Malkin's and into the stationary shop, where they loaded up enough parchment to wallpaper Hogwarts. They also purchased multiple styles and colors of ink as well as more quills than Harry had gone through in his first five years of school. On a whim Harry also bought a couple of the more expensive version of the quick quotes quills, known as Total Transcribers.

Ron, Hermione and Charlie offered to take their purchases back to the shop, while Ginny and Harry finished up their shopping with Bill. As soon as Ron and Hermione were gone, Ginny slipped her arm around Harry's waist, causing him to turn red and stiffen up.

Ginny looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eye, "What's wrong oh brother of mine. You would think that I never gave you a hug before today." To which Harry only gulped. "So dearest brother, where are we off too now?"

Harry hesitantly put his arm around Ginny's shoulders in what he hoped was a brotherly gesture, and replied. Actually I have everything that I was planning on buying today, so I thought you and I could just look around a bit. Um if you don't mind."

"Not at all, in fact I think I would like looking around just fine."

As the two of them started exploring some of the lesser traveled side streets of Diagon Alley, Harry suddenly thought of something, "Um Ginny. After our argument I wasn't sure you would even want to come shopping with us. Let alone be spend time with me specifically."

Loud enough that Bill who was a few steps behind them could hear Ginny replied. "Well I haven't completely forgiven you yet, But I was looking forward to coming here enough that I didn't want to what's the saying, Cut of my nose to spite my face. Besides I think Ron would have killed me if he didn't get a little alone time with Hermione."

In a softer voice that only Harry could here Ginny commented. "Actually it worked out quite well. I _let_ my mom calm me down and convince me to come with you and do my best to be supportive. She's actually quite pleased with herself as it isn't often she can make one of her hot headed children see reason."

Harry suddenly saw a shop that caught his attention and dragged Ginny across the street and into an old looking shop that advertised "Dragon Hide and other useful Protection"

When Harry entered the shop the shopkeeper, a thin miserly looking man greeted him warmly. "Welcome, it is a pleasure to see you again. You and your brothers penchant for dragon hide is delightful, and I must say that except for you two I seldom get to do anything other than natural color or black."

Harry realized belatedly that Fred and George must purchase their vests here. "Unfortunately I probably won't be placing an order today, but I couldn't let my sister visit without showing her your shop." Harry continued in a stage whisper, "I think she would look great in a bright orange dragon hide dress."

The shopkeeper laughed heartily, "I haven't made a dragon hide dress in years. If you can convince her to wear it I would be willing to make that for cost."

Ginny looked truly appalled at the idea, "Don't even think about it Fred."

As Ginny and Harry looked around the shop, Harry was drawn to a small selection of dragon hide breastplates. Ginny quickly realized Harry's dilemma in that he had no idea what questions the twins had already asked of the shop owner and decided to help him out.

"Excuse me sir. I was wondering if you could explain to me the difference between the dragon hide armor you have over hear and normal dragon hide clothing."

The shop owner looked delighted at the question. "You need to understand miss that dragons, like snakes shed their skin occasionally. Of course unlike snakes they normally do it a patch at a time. This is what normal dragon hide clothing is made of. It is incredibly strong and tare and puncture resistant. It does wear down over time, and given long enough will deteriorate. It is also only offers minimal protection from spells. Truly a week stunner will penetrate it if it gets a direct hit. Glancing hits have some chance of being deflected.

Armor on the other hand isn't just the outer skin, which is what dragons shed. No it is made of the complete hide taken from a dead dragon one of the main differences between a true hide and the outer skin is that the true hide retains far more of the magic of the dragon. It will never deteriorate by natural means. It is also resistant to most lower powered spells and will even defuse some of the power of stronger spells. Bear in mind it wont stop the spell, just lessen the effect. It will take quite a beating from blasting and cutting curses, but some other forms of dark magic, like the killing curse won't be affected by the dragon hide at all. It's dreadfully expensive and Darn near impossible to work. Only a couple of us in all of Europe who are willing to work with it. As far as protective armor goes though it is the second best material ever found."

Ginny couldn't help but ask, "What is the best material?"

"True Basilisk hide, but since breading them is illegal, and there hasn't been proof of one of any size in a nigh on a century, I doubt I will ever have the chance to see if I can even work the stuff." He leaned in and winked at Ginny, "Of course if you have any I would trade me dear mother for a spot large enough to make a decent chest piece from, heck I would throw in my wife and my kids too and still think I came out on the top of the deal."

Ginny turned a shocked expression towards Harry, which the shopkeeper misinterpreted, "Hey, I'm just funnen with you girl, I don't have any kids."

When Harry and Ginny had left the shop Ginny whispered to Harry, "Do you realize how much money that thing in the chamber is worth?"

Harry shrugged, "Well it's too late now, it's been dead for years."

"No, didn't you hear him? The true hide doesn't deteriorate over time."

Harry looked contemplative as yet another idea started to develop in his head. Before he could get too lost in thought another shop caught his eye and he led Ginny and Bill into a tiny little shop that he had almost overlooked. There was no window, or even really a storefront, just a doorway with the words "Magical Language Lessons" in plain block lettering. When Harry had entered the little shop he saw that the entire room was little wider then the door he had entered through. There was nothing to browse or look at in the store, just a counter and a bored looking wizard who appeared to be asleep behind it.

Harry cautiously approached the counter and was about to ring the service bell on it when he was startled by a small pop next to his right ear, and the appearance of a small three inch tall creature. Harry was shocked at the creature hovering next to his head. It looked exactly like the little devil Harry had seen on some of Dudley's cartoons that would show up to whisper in the characters ear encouragement to do something bad. The creature was bright red, had black hair and a black goatee, Bat-like wings, a forked tail, and was even brandishing a small pitchfork.

Before Harry could gather his wits the small devil like creature whispered in his ear, "No, don't ring the bell. Just knock him over. He deserves it for sleeping on the job."

As soon as the creature had finished speaking, there was another small pop next to Harry's left ear. When he turned his head, Harry immediately felt like he was actually in one of Dudley's cartoon. There hovering above his left shoulder was a three inch tall female creature with long golden hair, and white doves wings. She was wearing a flowing white robe, and even had a halo. Completing the image was the small golden harp she carried in the crook of her arm.

"Be a kind boy and just tap the bell lightly. You wouldn't want to startle that pore tired man. I am sure he has a good reason for falling asleep." The angelic figure told Harry.

"Hah, he is getting paid good money to mind this shop and he thinks he can just come in here and sleep, I say he deserves what he gets, knock him says I." The devil replied, speaking to the little angel instead of Harry.

The angel sighed sadly, then looked at Harry, "He's probably right you know. Go ahead and knock the lazy bum down. It will feel good."

This finally shocked a response from Harry who had been mutely looking back and forth between the two small creatures. "What?"

Harry's outburst had finally gotten the attention of the wizard behind the counter who slowly raised one eyelid and looked drowsily at Harry before speaking in a slow drawl, "I would prefer ya didn't knock me over. And for your information Jezzie, I wasn't sleepin, I was jus restin my eyes." The wizard then stood up stretched and let out a huge yawn, "Well, since you saw fit to interrupt the nap that I wasn't takin, what can I do for you." When Harry didn't answer immediately, "The wizard continued, don't mind those two, they are perfectly harmless, now did you need something?"

Before Harry could compose his thoughts the little devil on his shoulder sputtered indignantly, "Harmless? Harmless am I? I will have you know I am a dangerous and fearsome beast."

"yeah, like I said those to are completely harmless."

The little devil creature suddenly jabbed Harry's ear with his pitchfork causing the young wizard to yelp. "Hah, did that feel like I'm harmless? You best watch out for me boy."

The wizard behind the counter suddenly slammed his hand down on the counter, "Darn it Bob, stop screwin around. You cant' just go jabbing people in the ear with your little stick thing, now let me see what this young man needs, and you just be quiet."

Harry started to chuckle, "Bob, your name is Bob"

The Little devil looked defiantly back at Harry, "Of course my name is Bob. Bob is a perfectly good name, what did you think it would be?"

Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts then turned back towards the counter. The sign outside said Magical Language Lessons, I was wondering how they worked, and how much they cost."

"Well, first thing you should no is they are right darn expensive. You still interested?" When Harry shook his head the wizard continued. "Well, you have already met two of the instructors, Jezzie and Bob. The way the lessons work is that they teach you the language. It normally takes about a month for a wizard to learn a new language, with their help, although some wizards learn faster and some slower. A lot of it depends on you, and the languages you want to learn. They can instruct you in most languages spoken throughout the wizzarding world, be it human or otherwise. If you desire to learn a language your instructors do not know they can find someone who does.

If you decide to purchase the lessons you are under obligation to remember that you are hiring intelligent beings for instruction. They are not slaves, or objects. If you do not treat your instructors with respect they may cancel the job at any time without a refund of funds. Instruction costs five hundred Galleons per month. Do you have any questions?"

"just two questions, Can I hire three months worth now, and if I am satisfied with the service are there other instructors available that I could hire for some of my friends."

The wizard looked at Harry with an expression of complete and utter shock. "Your serious aren't you?" At Harry's nod the Wizard quickly pulled out a contract explaining Harry's responsibilities towards the language instructors. A few short minutes later Harry handed over a draft note for fifteen hundred Galleons, and realized in shock that that was more money then it had taken for the twins to open a fully functional Joke shop.

When Harry turned around to leave he found both Ginny and Bill staring at him with rather strange looks. As soon as Bob saw Ginny he let out a long wolf whistle, "Hey she's a looker, don't let that one get away boy."

Jezzie instantly replied, "You idiot, that is probably his sister."

"Yeah, his hot sister," Bob leered.

Harry laughed out loud, "Actually she isn't my sister, but the guy behind her is her brother."

Ginny looked at Harry as if he had completely lost his mind. "Harry, who are you talking too?"

Harry gestured towards his shoulders with his thumbs, "Ginny, Bill, meet Bob and Jezzie."

Ginny looked Harry strait in the eye and calmly told him, "Harry, there is no one here but us and the guy behind the counter who looks as if he has already gone back to sleep."

Jezzie laughed at Harry's puzzlement, "Oh they can't see or hear us, well not unless we want them too. Although there was a careless couple of our kind a while back that let some muggles see them and we have since been misrepresented in the muggle world for years."

"Um guy's could you let my friends see you so they don't think I am complete stark raving mad?"

Bob answered, "Well we can let them see us, but not sure if there is anything we can do about them thinking your mad."

Both Bill and Ginny Gasped in shock as Bob and Jezzie suddenly became visible to them. Bill seemed to recover first, "Blimey Harry, those are real live linguistic liaisons. I've never actually seen them before."

Bob suddenly bowed deeply, "Sir Bob Blackbrand at your service and pleased to make your acquaintance. The lovely young woman on the other side of this wizards ungainly large head is my delicate flower of a wife Jezzie Blackbrand."

The strange quintet made their way back to the twins joke shop to wait for Ron and Hermione. While they were sitting in the back room of the joke shop Both Fred and George joined them for a moment to see how their day had been so far.

When Bob saw the twins he let our a shout of surprise "Run Jezzie, theirs three of em, were doomed."

This comment caused Harry, Bill, and Ginny to burst out laughing. This confused the twins who were unused to not being included in what ever revelry was happening around them.

Harry finally managed to contain his laughter enough to talk to Bob, "Actually I'm not one of them. I am just in a polyjuice disguise which should wear off in a few minutes."

Bob and Jezzie looked at each other in shock before Jezzie commented, "You should have told us that at the shop. You know if we don't like you after the polyjuice wears off we leave and you are out your money. Also if you are a criminal we will leave."

"No, nothing like that. I'm not a criminal. Some people just don't think it is safe for me to walk around in the wizarding world."

Bob asked, "Well then, who are you?"

"Harry Potter."

Both of the linguistic liaisons, Whom Harry was starting to think of as the L.L.'s looked at Harry in shock.

Before they could continue their conversation however, George cut in interjected. "Harry, we know you are under polyjuice."

Fred continued, "It is my hair in their if you remember"

"and I think we are both perfectly aware that you are not a criminal."

"Are you sure you are feeling alright?"

Harry looked between Fred and George then at Ginny, and bill then finally he glanced over at Jezzie and Bob before answering. "Yep, perfectly normal why do you ask?"

Ginny and Bill started laughing again, while Fred and George just looked at everyone in bewilderment. Finally Fred shook his head sadly, "Well Forge, it looks like being one of use for a couple of hours was just too much.

"Yes Gred, I am afraid you are right and that young Harry has cracked."

"Oh, well Forge sad as that is, it occurs to me that our shop is completely"

"and young hooligans might be making off with our jokes without paying for them Gred? What a horrible thought."

"Yes forge as there is nothing we can do for our mentally disturbed friend we must carry on, and protect the jokes."

Fred and George left shortly after finishing their speech, with Bill deciding to follow. This left Ginny and Harry alone, well as alone as you can be when one of you has an angel and a devil sitting on his shoulders. After a couple of minutes of uncomfortable silence Harry suggested that they work on stoking the bookshelf in his trunk while they waited for Ron and Hermione. The two worked side by side for almost half an hour before their fiends showed up, and while they were once again in silence. The silence this time felt comfortable and companionable.

_

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_

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I know I said I wouldn't put many author notes in, but I felt I needed to at the end of this chapter. I know this type of chapter has been done to death, but I couldn't help myself, sorry.

_Also I feel the need to point out that my Linguistic Liaisons are based on another Fan fiction authors Idea of Language Fairies. Unfortunately while I remember the story that these were found in I do not remember its title, or the name of the author who created them. If anyone knows who it was please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due. I believe you will find however that my L.L.'s are quite different from the original authors._

_Expect the next few chapters to cover longer periods of time, and more events, although the violence won't start for a while yet._


	4. Chapter 4 Changes, Drastic and Otherwise

I still do not own Harry Potter. 

**Changes, Drastic and Otherwise**

Harry Potter was furious. No, furious didn't even come close to describing the rage that burned in Harry's heart. Harry's rage was such that odds were he would have come out on top in a staring contest with a Basilisk. Harry was so mad infact, that it was almost impossible for him to even think about the many events that had conspired to royally piss him off.

The trip to Diagon Alley had been a rousing success. It should have left Harry feeling quite pleased. Instead the events that had occurred in the few short hours since leaving the twins joke shot had destroyed all of Harry's happiness.

The Problems all started back at Grimauld Place when Hermione had an idea. Actually in all fairness Hermione's idea wasn't the problem, it only served to direct Harry's attention to the first of many painful discoveries that night. The small group of student's had barely returned to headquarters when Hermione had started furiously flipping through the books on Healing Magic she had selected for Harry to purchase.

It didn't take the young witch long to find what she was looking for, and after a few minutes of study she had asked Harry if she could perform a diagnostic charm on him. Harry, feeling fine, had of course assented. Before Hermione cast the charm, she had explained that this particular diagnostic charm was hardly ever used; as its only purpose was to make sure that nothing was interfering with a child's natural growth.

Harry thought it odd that Hermione wanted to cast the charm but still wasn't overly concerned. As soon as Hermione had spoken the incantation all hell broke loose. The charm, unlike the diagnostic charms madam Pomfrey used, Hit Harry hard enough to render him unconscious for a moment. When Harry had pulled himself off of the floor he was surprised to see a lifelike copy of himself standing where he had been. The main difference between Harry and this copy were that first of all the copy was glowing light green. Secondly the copy of Harry was at least a good foot taller than the real thing.

Hermione had stared in horror at the green Harry for almost a minute before finally bringing herself to explain that the copy represented the height that Harry should be. After a quick check of the book Hermione, choking back tears, explained that the green glow indicated that growth had been stunted due to extreme malnutrition in early developmental years. Harry remembered that as a child, meals had frequently been few and far between. He had never thought about how that had affected his physical development.

The Healing book that had contained the diagnostic spell also mentioned a potion to cure the problem, however try as she might; Hermione had been unable to locate the potion in any of the potions books before she had returned home. Before parting for the night, Harry, Hermione and Ron had split up the potions books to look through in hope of finding the brewing instruction. Ron had even vowed to return to Diagon Alley and "buy every bloody potions manual in the whole Alley" if he had too. Ginny, who had heard very little about Harry's childhood was so distraught that she had hardly said two words after Hermione's revelation.

While Hermione was scouring Potions texts, Harry suffered his second blow of the night. While glancing through one of the books on Occlumency that Hermione had purchased Harry learned that one of the first steps of mastering Occlumency involved the consumption of a rather complicated Potion. Learning this made it obvious why Dumbledore had sent Harry to Snape to learn the art, but as Snape had never given Harry the Potion, he had never had a chance of learning to protect his mind. This of course only served to make an already angry Harry even more furious. A great deal of Harry's anger was focused on Professor Dumbledore. The failure's caused by the Headmasters habit of not following up to make sure things were being done properly really rankled Harry. If the headmaster had checked to make sure Harry was being cared fore as a child, Harry might not be stuck as a midget. If the headmaster had followed up and checked on Harry's Occlumency training, Sirius might still be alive.

As if all of this wasn't bad enough, Dumbledore was held up with whatever he was working on, and as a consequence had sent none other than Professor Snape to escort Harry back to Privet Drive. When Harry saw professor Snape his anger had reached new heights. He was so mad he hadn't even been able to say goodbye to his friends for fear of exploding at them.

The last and final straw however had been when Harry had returned to the loving care of his Aunt and Uncle. Snape had for some reason insisted on following Harry into his home. This would have set Vernon off under any circumstances. However, as fate would have it, Harry had forgotten to change out of Fred's clothing. Harry didn't know it at the time, but this was actually a good thing as he had Sirius' letter in one pocket of the gaudy trousers, and five thousand muggle Pounds in the other. Vernon took one look, and instantly started yelling at him about what the neighbors would think if that had seen him in "that ridiculous costume." While Vernon was yelling at Harry about his appearance, Petunia started in on him about the obvious strangeness of Professor Snape and the disgrace of bringing such unnaturalness into her home.

Everything had become too much for Harry, and he had finally screamed out one word. "STOP!!!" Now normally this wouldn't have had much effect on Harry's family, but this time along with his shout, every item of glass, china and ceramic in the kitchen shattered, the Television in the living room exploded, and the dining room table literally split in twain. In the stunned silence that had followed the burst of uncontrolled magic Harry had wordlessly dragged his trunk up the stairs and into his bedroom.

Even a decent nights sleep had done little to sooth Harry's emotions. In fact as Harry's mind reviewed the events of the previous day he found himself becoming even more upset. Harry attempted to calm himself by remembering the positive things that had happened since his visit to Diagon Alley. First there was a different idea of Hermione's. She had numbered all of the books that were purchased in triplicate, there were quite a few, and devised a brilliant simple and almost unbreakable code. Each of the three was given a different set of books to peruse. If they found something that they considered immediately vital, or even just interesting to discuss, they would instead of mentioning the topic of discussion simply write the book number, followed by page number and line number, counting from the bottom of the page. This way unless someone was able to get hold of one of their book sets even if the owl post was intercepted no one would know what the three of them were working on.

The second positive thing that had happened At Grimmauld Place was when Harry had given Hermione and Ginny their new brooms. He was pleased to see that Ron had purchased brand-new quality cleansweeps. They might not be the best broom on the market, but Harry knew they were rugged and would last. Harry had handed Hermione her broom first. She had tried to decline pointing out that she wasn't all that fond of flying, to which Harry had responded that the ability to fly was an important one in that it gave her a means of escape from potential danger. He added that he wasn't willing to watch his friend die just because she had refused a broom because she didn't like to fly. Hermione had been sufficiently cowed by this argument and had taken the proffered broom.

After hearing Harry's remark to Hermione, Ginny knew better than to refuse the broom Harry gave her. Even though she took it, Ginny didn't look at all happy at first. Harry was surprised when Her scowl was suddenly replaced by a mischievous grin that reminded Harry eerily of the twins, and she had said, "Oooh, mom is going to be soooo mad at me."

When Harry had asked what she meant she had responded, "I'm going to tell her I made you buy this as an apology for yelling at me."

Harry couldn't figure out why Ginny would want her mom mad at her until Ron had explained that when Mrs. Weasly was upset, besides yelling she cooked. More specifically she cooked desserts and lots of them."

The last good thing that had happened had been that Harry had started his language lessons. He had decided that he would start out by learning Latin since a lot of spells were in this language. He was surprised to find that the way the L.L.'s worked was that while talking one of them would repeat everything he said in the desired language. The other one would repeat whatever was said too Harry. This sounded like it would be highly distracting. But due to the magic of the L.L.'s who were related distantly to fairies and pixies, their whispered words went completely unnoticed unless Harry intentionally focused on them. After only a couple of hours of this, Harry found he could already recall quite a few phrases and words in Latin. Harry wasn't sure how they did it, but when he read a part of his mind saw the words in the new language as well, this aspect was actually quite disconcerting if Harry attempted to focus on both languages, but if he relaxed and just worried about the English the Latin seemed to just slide into place.

Harry poured over his Potions books until the smell of sausages from downstairs caused Harry to decide that it was time to face his relatives. When Harry reached the bottom of the stairs he was surprised to find that all of the damage from the previous night had been fixed. Vernon and Petunia were however avoiding the table, as if it was contaminated now that it had been repaired with magic. Instead they were sitting at the kitchen counter. Their fear of magical contamination however didn't seem to spill over into plates and glasses, as each of them had a full glass of juice and a plate of sausage and eggs.

When Harry entered the kitchen Vernon glared at him. "I'm sorry boy, but breakfast has already been served and we don't appear to have any left for you. I guess you can have a glass of water. Be thankful that you are getting that after last night."

Harry didn't even bother responding to his uncle, instead he picked up a fork, walked over to where his uncle was setting, and speared two of the sausages off of his uncles plate and ate them. Vernon had turned a rather interesting shade of purple while watching Harry eat, When Harry reached over to grab a bite of egg off of his Uncles plate Vernon finally stood up and started yelling, "I have had quite enough of you boy, I am locking you back in your room until I decide what punishment best serves you. You insolent little brat." Having said that, Vernon grabbed Harry's left wrist.

Instead of trying to pull away like he would have when he was younger, Harry actually stepped closer to Vernon and pressed his wand into the fleshy throat of his uncle, "No, uncle." Harry spat the word as if it was the most foul of obscenities. "I have had quite enough of you." Harry stepped closer, and was surprised to find his uncle retreating. "Yesterday I learned that my growth has been stunted, maybe permanently because of the lack of nourishment you gave me as a child, and I won't stand for it any more." Harry took another step forward and jabbed his wand harder into his uncle's throat. "You pride yourself on being normal. Well from now on you will be. You will give me a normal portion of food at every meal. You will treat me like a normal person. You will not yell at me, or abuse me in any way. I am not your slave and have done enough chores around here for multiple normal children. In light of that fact, I will not be doing any chores this summer. You will leave me alone to study. You will not call me a freak. You will not lock me out of your house or in my room, and you will stop telling people that I am a criminal. If you cannot behave like a normal sane individual, you will learn first hand exactly how not normal I am. Do I make myself clear?" With each repetition of the word normal Harry had taken a step forward with the result being that his large uncle was now literally cowering against the wall.

Vernon tried to regain some of his composure, "If you d'd'do anything unnatural you will be kicked out of school."

Harry's voice was like cold steel, "I will be kicked out of school. You Vernon will still be dead, and world will be a better place for it. Your choice."

Vernon didn't respond, just turned and fled the room. With a wail Petunia followed after him short moments later. Dudley however continued to sit at the dining room table eating breakfast as if nothing had happened. After swallowing a bite of food Dudley turned towards Harry and Said, "'s about time."

Harry was shocked, "What did you say Dudley?"

"I said it's about time you strapped on a pair and stood up for yourself. You should have done that years ago."

Harry stared at Dudley incredulously, while the anger in him started to mount again. Suddenly it was like a dam had burst inside Harry, and instead of rage he found himself laughing. He laughed at how good it felt to finally be free of his fear of his uncle, and he laughed that for the first time in Harry's recollection, Dudley was completely and absolutely right.

"So I guess that Professor Snape fixed everything after I went upstairs last night?"

Dudley looked puzzled, "Who? You mean that bloke that was with you? Nah he left right after you did. Some strange looking bird with pink hair and a pigs nose came in and fixed everything."

Harry grinned at the thought of Tonks changing her nose into a pig's snout just to irritate the Dursley's. Harry knew he should head back upstairs and dive back into the potions book to continue looking for the potion he needed to take to correct his "little" problem. However he decided to first take a quick walk to clear his head.

Harry's walk around his block was interrupted when he saw Remus leaning against a lamppost. "Hey Harry, I heard that there was a bit of wandless magic floating around town last night." Harry blushed, which caused Remus to burst out laughing. "Don't worry about it, I don't think the ministry even noticed, what with the way everyone is running around shouting that the sky is falling, so no harm no foul."

Harry grinned, "That reminds me, when you see Tonks could you tell her thanks for me?"

This time Remus blushed, "Why do you think I am seeing Tonks tonight."

"I didn't say anything about tonight." Harry grinned, "So, what are you and Tonks doing tonight."

Remus blushed even brighter, "It's not a date. It is just two friends having dinner together."

"Moony, I hope you were better at keeping secrets while you were in school or else I think I know why my dad and Sirius spent so much time in detention," Harry chuckled. "Not that it is any of my business, but is something going on between you and Tonks?"

Remus grinned sheepishly, "Well, not that it's any of your business, but yea. At least I hope there is." Remus suddenly straightened up, "Oh before I forget Snape was suppose to tell you last night, if you need to talk to the order member on guard just place Hedwig's cage on your windowsill and head outside. If it is an emergency throw a school robe over the cage; and we will come in, wands at the ready."

Harry and Remus continued to chat for a little while before Harry headed back to the Dursley's. After hours of paging through potions text Harry wasn't any closer to finding the potion he was looking for, he had however found a completely different potion that he thought held quite a bit of potential. It was titled Dreamless Draught, and Harry had almost passed it by think it similar to the Dreamless sleep Potion that Madam Pomfrey had given him. Upon closer examination he had learned however that this potion prevented dreams by preventing sleep. Or more accurately greatly reducing sleep. The potion was to be taken once every four weeks, and caused a person to require only four to six hours of sleep per week. The potion was non-addictive and had almost no side effects except that it was nigh impossible to wake a person during their weekly sleep. The text even pointed out that 'instructors at a number of prestigious Magical boarding schools rely heavily on this potion so that they have time to grade papers, and patrol the halls for students who are out after curfew, all without having to deal with fatigue.' Harry thought to himself that if he could make this potion that would give him over forty more hours a week to prepare. Suddenly his and Ron's plan of learning Runes over the summer didn't seam quite so far fetched.

Harry was so caught up in his planning that he barely even noticed the ringing of the telephone until Dudley's voice bellowed up the stairs, "Harry, phones for you. It's some girl."

Harry curiously left his room and headed down the hall to where a phone stood on a small table outside his aunt and uncles bedroom. With more then a little trepidation Harry picked up the phone and answered, "Hello, this is Harry Potter."

He breathed a sigh of relieve when Hermione's voice responded from the other end of the line, "Harry, I found it. Descartes is bringing the book to you right now. It looks fairly difficult to make but I am confident you can handle it if you concentrate. You need to take a dose of it every day for the next Two months, but it stores well, and a cauldron full will cover the full dosage. There are some warnings with it so you need to read all the instructions carefully. Do you have something to write with handy?"

Harry noticed that Petunia kept a pen and a notepad next to the phone so he responded, "Yes I am good to go."

"Ok, Harry, you will find what you need on page four hundred and seventy four. Oh, and let me give you my phone number in case you need to call me."

After Harry wrote down Hermione's information and returned to his room, he made a quick decision and took the book with the Dreamless Draught potion in it down to the room that Vernon referred to as his office. Harry had only been in the room a couple of times, but remembered Vernon bragging about the printer he had purchased that also doubled as a copy machine. It took Harry a couple of tries to figure out how to use the copy feature on the printer, but when he was done he was happy to see that he had an easily legible copy of the brewing instructions for the draught, as well as all of the information about it's use. He returned to his room and scribbled a short note on a piece of parchment.

_Ron, call off the search. Hermione found what we were looking for. I noticed this in one of my books and thought that it might be useful in completing that other project you and I talked about._

_Harry._

He placed the note with the copied potions instructions in an envelope, and sealed it. After a moments hesitation Harry handed the letter to Hedwig, "Could you take this to Ron dear?" Hedwig cooed in consent before flying of out the window on her way to Ron's house.

The letter to Ron reminded Harry that he still hadn't read the letter from Sirius. So Harry summoned his courage and collected the letter from the trousers he had worn the day before. Before giving himself time to think too much he ripped the envelope open, and started to read. The letter was completely Sirius. It was equal parts complete insanity mixed with bone chilling sobriety, and sprinkled throughout with irreverent humor.

As Harry read the letter, he at times laughed and at times cried, but by the time he was done he felt his resolve once again renewed. On the back of the last page of the letter was a separate note titled, A Dead Man's Last Request followed by a numbered list of tasks that Sirius wanted Harry to complete.

1. Prank at minimum 10 people during your next term at school. (Only 5 of them may be named Malfoy)

2. Date no less then two girls by the end of next term, and snog no less then four girls during that time.

3. Remind Dumbledore that he is not perfect at least once.

4. Break a school rule that doesn't involve you trying to save the world.

5. Play Quidditch, even if your ban is still in place. You were born to ride a broom.

6. Learn to dance. (It's actually fun once you get over the awkwardness, and the ladies love a man that can dance.)

7. Take time out to appreciate your friends, you will miss them when they are gone.

8. Teach Snape a lesson, (I leave the details up to you)

9. Take care of Moony. He isn't as strong as he pretends.

10. Kill Voldemort. (Hey no biggie right? Should be easier than number 2.)

Harry shook his head at the list, but knew that he would do his best to accomplish everything his Godfather had asked of him, but first he had some potions to make. Harry carefully laid out all of the ingredients necessary for the Dreamless draught, and the Occlumency potion, as well as a general healing potion that sped up the body's natural healing process. He also laid out four of the portable potions stoves he had purchased the day before.

Harry decided to start with the easiest potion on his list, which was the basic healing potion, and started to work. He was almost done with the potion when two owls flew through his window. He recognized one of them as Hermione's owl, but couldn't place the second owl. He didn't give too much thought too it though as he turned is focus back to the potion he was brewing.

While the Healing potion was cooling off, Harry relieved the two owls of their burdens. Hermione's owl, Descartes, had obviously brought him the potions book. The second owl it turned out was from the twins who had sent him two items they thought might be useful after his and Fred's talk of the day before. The first Item was a Weasly invention named Smello Tape. The instructions explained that when stuck to the floor, the tape created a low powered ward that prevented odors from passing over it. While Harry could really care less about the smell from his potions brewing bothering his relatives, he himself didn't want to have to deal with the smell all of the time, so he quickly sectioned off a portion of his room with the tape. The second item that the twins had sent him was a powerful banishing potion, designed to dispose of any unused, or unusable potions with only a drop. The twins pointed out that it wasn't always safe to go pouring potions down the drain.

After a quick lunch Harry set to work making the remaining three potions. It was almost dinnertime before Harry was finished, but surprisingly all of the potions looked exactly like they were suppose to. When he had bottled all of the potions into doses, he joined his family at the table.

This was the first time since the fight that morning that Harry had seen his aunt and uncle, and he was curious as to how they were going to treat him. During dinner they both did their best to pretend that Harry didn't exist, while at the same time making sure that he had a helping of everything on the table.

After Dinner was over Harry turned to Vernon, "I need you to call an eye doctor and make an appointment to see about corrective surgery for my vision."

Vernon choked on the glass of water he was drinking before spluttering, "I'm not paying for surgery for you. I don't care what you do."

Harry decided to take a gamble, "I will pay for it. I just need you to set it up."

"Where did you get money boy?"

Harry looked Vernon straight in the eye and told a half-truth. "My godfather left a small amount of money to me when he died."

Vernon got a greedy gleam in his eye, "Well then, it's about time you paid some rent don't you think?"

Harry coldly replied, "No, I don't. Have you forgotten about our discussion from this morning." Harry decided to raise the ante a bit, "Of course I could give you the money. It is up to you really. I plan on having my vision corrected this summer, and I can either do it the Normal way, or I can do it the Magic Way. The Magic way of course will require multiple Visits from Wizards and Witches, all of which will come during the day and will expect to use the front door so which would you prefer?"

Harry watched Greed struggle against Vernon's desire for normalcy. The decision however was made by Petunia who exclaimed, "I will not have my house turned into the neighborhood freak show." Vernon seemed to sag a little at hearing he would not be getting the money from Harry.

After Dinner Harry put Hedwig's cage in his window, before heading out to wander around the front yard for a bit. He didn't have long to wait before he heard Kingsley Shacklebots deep tones from under an invisibility cloak, "Do you actually need something or are you just testing the signal out?"

Harry replied, "Actually I have a couple things that I thought whoever is on guard duty should know. First I am going to start an exercise regime that will include morning runs. I also plan on spending a bit more time out and about than normal. I just thought that you guys should know. The second thing is that sometime soon I will be going to the muggle Eye Doctor, and it is quite possible that I will return with bandages over my eyes, this isn't a cause for alarm, but when that happens I may spend a couple of days indoors."

After a few silent moments Kingsley replied, "Thanks Harry, that is good to know. It wouldn't do to have Mad-Eye or Fletcher on duty while you are out running. Moody would have trouble keeping up with his leg, and Fletcher wouldn't even try. I will keep the bandages thing as quiet as I can, we wouldn't want you know who to know that you might be disadvantaged for a little while. Of course we don't want to start a panic among the order when some idiot reports that you are blind either. Anything else?"

Harry grunted, "Nope" before heading back inside.

Back in his room Harry downed his first dose of Dreamless Draught, as well as his first dose of Growth Restoration Serum. The Exercise program wasn't really something that Harry was looking forward to, but the Growth restoration serum had warned that unless High levels of physical activity were maintained while taking the potion a patient was likely to grow out as fast as he grew up. Harry knew that the fear of looking like Dudley would ensure he stayed active. The upside of the deal was that if Harry exercised hard during the time that he was taking the potion, he would end up with the body he would have had if he had been exercising for the last six years or so.

Feeling refreshed from his potions, Harry set to work on conquering the tedious study of Runes. After the first couple hour Harry turned towards Bob and asked, "Can you guy's help with this, I mean the runes are like a language aren't they?"

Bob replied, "We are helping, although we can't do as much with Runes as we can with normal languages. After all the Runic tongues aren't spoken anymore and it isn't so much the language as the art form that you need to grasp. By the way, judging by the today I was going to say you would be a three weaker for Latin. If you aren't going to sleep though we might be able to get that in close to two weeks"

Jezzie spoke up, "Oh I think two weeks definitely, and the more languages you learn the faster you will be able to learn them. You don't speak any other languages than English do you?"

"No, well not unless you count parseltounge, but I didn't really learn that it just sort of happened."

Jezzie continued, "Hmm, interesting, we may explore that later."

After four hours of Runes Harry felt like his head was going to explode. He put the runes book away for a little while, and riffled through his old trunk until he found his notes from the D.A. meetings. He sat them on the desk opened his new trunk to the library feature and positioned it so the books were easily reached from the chair at his desk. He then started the long and tedious task of rewriting all of the D.A. lessons from the previous year, starting at the beginning. He expanded each lesson by including not only the spells and how they were performed, but also his own experience with the spell. He combined this with what he had witnessed from the other members of the D.A. and extensively research each topic with the all of the books at his disposal.

After about Five Hours of this, Harry carefully put everything away, tidied up his room and went for breakfast. After Breakfast he headed outside to start the Dreaded workout. He was just starting to do some warm up stretches, and feeling rather silly while doing them, when his concentration was interrupted.

"Wotcher Harry. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show. When Shak said that you were going to start running every morning I volunteered to take all morning shifts. I like to run in the mornings too, although I normally run a little earlier than this. Getting the blood flowing helps to wake you up." Tonks grinned evilly at Harry, "Also it's best not to run on a full stomach."

Harry quickly found out what Tonks meant, and also realized that he was in worse shape than he thought. When Harry returned to Privet drive, Dudley was waiting for him. "Harry, I reckon I would be Jail if not for you so I owe you, follow me." Having said that Dudley led Harry out the back door, and to a new shed that had been build over the past year. Dudley opened the door to the shed, revealing a small number of strength training machines. "If you really want to get in shape just running isn't going to do it. I don't think you are trying to lose weight, so this is the type of stuff you need to be working on."

Dudley then proceeded to show Harry how to operate the machines. When he was done with his demonstration, he added. "Dad bought this so I could train over the summer, but with being required to join a summer boxing program I will be doing most of my training at the Fitness Center Downtown. So feel free to use this whenever you want." Dudley looked at his watch, "Shoot, I'm almost late for my first community service." Dudley turned to leave, and then turned back. "This doesn't mean we are friends or anything like that. Just returning a favor."

Harry was deep into his Occlumency books when he came across an odd reference that triggered his anger, while at the same time sparking his interest.

Occlumency when properly practiced will protect ones mind from invasion from even the most skilled of Legilimens. A Legilimens should not be confused with someone casting the Legilimens curse which while it shares the name and a few attributes is not directly related to the art of legilemency.

When Harry had read this he started skimming through his book to find more information about the Legilimens Curse. Finally he found it in an appendix in the back of the book, The Well Ordered and Controlled Mind.

_The Legilimens curse is used to open up a persons mind to make it more receptive to suggestion, control and manipulation. The spell is however as dangerous to the casting party as it is to the individual being attacked with it. When a person uses the Legilimens Curse he risks the chance of revealing a piece of his soul to his victim. After enough pieces have been revealed a skilled Occlumens can assemble the pieces similar to a puzzle until he or she has a full understanding of the nature, motives, and thought process of the individual casting this spell. One way around this is if the caster of the curse is a sufficiently skilled Occlumens, he may hide a key as it were within a memory, and remove the key memory to a temporary containment device such as a pensieve. This makes it impossible to gain a full understanding of the castor unless the target of the curse is able to gain access to the Key memory. It is of interesting note that if the Key memory is not returned in a timely manner irreversible brain damage will occur._

Harry slammed his head onto his desk. That worthless bastard had been intentionally opening his mind up for Voldemort. Suddenly the import of what Harry read struck him. He had seen the memory that Snape had hid his key in. If he mastered Occlumency he would know why Snape had done this. He would know without a doubt which side Snape was really on.

Harry was surprised when his uncle showed up for Lunch, since Vernon seldom came home during workdays. Vernon ate his lunch quickly and glared at Harry, "Well boy. I did it. And it just so happens that the doctor has some last minute openings today, something about a family changing vacation plans or some such rubbish. Dr. Bonebreak is willing to see you for a consultation, and if you are a candidate for the procedure he is even willing to operate today. So Hurry up and lets get this over with."

Harry couldn't help but feel that there was something underhanded going on with the doctor being willing to operate so quickly, but his London office was clean and professional looking so Harry decided to throw caution to the wind and chance it. Even though The doctor had been willing to Operate immediately he hadn't expected Harry to want both eyes done at the same time.

The doctor had tried to get Harry to reconsider, pointing out that if he had both eyes operated on he would be effective blind for seventy two hours while his eye's healed. Harry had sweetly replied that he would rather suffer through that inconvenience than force his uncle to take another day off of work.

Harry managed to pay for the procedure, without letting his uncle see how much money he really had. If the receptionist found it odd that Harry paid in cash she didn't comment on it. Harry did his best to hide it, but he was beginning to have serious doubts about the upcomming procedure. He was glad that the doctor was operating almost immediately because Harry knew that if he was given too much time to think about what was about to happen he would probably lose his nerve.

The procedure itself wasn't as bad as Harry had expected, and soon Harry was blindly sitting in his uncle's car on the way back to Privet Drive. Harry had decided to keep his old glasses, and have the lenses swapped out for plain glass. He did this to prevent his enemies from learning that he had overcome this weakness. At least he hoped he wouldn't need glasses any longer.

Harry didn't realize how terrifying being blind would be for him, until he had to rely on the assistance of he Uncle to get to the car. Of course Vernon's directions were supplemented by the thoughtful commentary of Jezzie and Bob. Jezzie and Bob became indispensable when Vernon pulled into number 4 Privet Drive.

Harry's uncle had been at least marginally helpful while they were within sight of the surgery. Now that they were back on his home turf, Vernon didn't even spare a thought as to how Harry would find his way from the car to the house. Harry idly wondered how normal it looked to their neighbors that Vernon would allow his temporarily blind nephew to make his own way to the house.

When Harry had finally made his stumbling way back to his bedroom, Bob and Jezzie were kind enough to grab the potions that Harry had previously brewed. Harry downed the healing potion, calculating that the bandages should be ready to come off in twelve hours instead of seventy-two. He then downed the Occlumency Potion and settled cross-legged into a deep trance on his bed.

Harry found his disembodied consciousness in a large spacious area with countless floating Balls in a myriad of drifting around. Harry remembered reading that each person envisioned his or her memories with a different symbol. At first floating balls didn't make sense to Harry, until he saw a small one with wings fly by. It suddenly dawned on Harry that his memories were represented by Quidditch Balls.

After exploring for a little while, Harry came to the conclusion that the Bludger shaped balls represented painful, memories, while the Quaffle shaped balls represented normal memories. The fast moving snitch shaped memories were the memories that touched Harry the most. These memories were the type of memories that he was willing to seek after. Harry couldn't make head nor tails of the importance of the coloring of the memory balls, and when he saw a pastel pink Bludger sail in front of him he simply gave up trying to understand.

Harry didn't know how long he drifted among his memories before he came to his senses and remembered that he had a task to perform. Harry willed himself towards the edges of the memories, and started constructing a series of bookcase-like structures to hold his memories. Harry had chosen bookcases after reading that it was important that the memories be easily accessible. The books had commented that placing memories in boxes or closed containers of any kind actually blocked the mind from accessing those memories entirely. The construction of these shelves without material, or even without a physical form to manipulate material with, was unlike anything Harry had ever tried before. Each set of shelves was forged by sheer willpower.

When Harry had a large number of shelves formed, he began collecting memories one by one. The first memory Harry looked at was one of the charms he had learned in third year. He quickly labeled one of the bookcases Charms, and placed the memory on it. He then chased down the next the memory. After a little while, Harry learned that here in his mind he was truly Lord and Master. He discovered that he could will the memories to come to him faster than he could go to them. Harry worked with the speed of thought, organizing, categorizing and sorting memories. Before long the numerous shelves that Harry had created were all labeled. Harry decided not to stop to mass-produce more bookcases. Now every time Harry grabbed a memory that did not fit into one of his already existing categories, he was forced to create a new set of shelves for that memory. After a while Harry lost himself in his work. Summon, identify, classify, and shelve. Harry repeated those steps thousands upon thousands of times. Time stopped having any meaning, the world outside of Harry's meditative trance disappeared, and all that was important was the task of organizing memories. Harry would have continued on in this manner indefinitely had his concentration not suddenly been broken by the annoying sound of his alarm clocks ringing.

Harry looked with dismay at the jumbled contents of his mind before he was ripped out of his trance, and back into the real world. With despair he realized that the alarm clock's ringing signaled the passing of twelve hours. Twelve hours of concentrated work, and Harry wasn't even close to completing the organization of his mind. Harry's spirits drooped as he contemplated that sorting and organizing ones memories was only the first step of Occlumency, and by all accounts the easiest step as well. The texts had mentioned that a skilled Occlumens could accelerate the process for their pupil, but hadn't mentioned how this was done. In the end, Harry resigned himself to many more hours of organizing. His last sardonic thought before opening his eyes was that if it took this long to organize the memories of a fifteen year old, it was no wonder that most adult wizards didn't attempt this form of magic.

Harry opened his eyes to complete blackness, and for a moment panicked. The panic passed quickly when Harry realized his eyes were still covered. With a great deal of trepidation, Harry slowly removed the bandages from his eyes. The light hurt. Harry blinked tears of pain out of his eye and thought to himself that maybe he should have given himself a few more hours to recover. When Harry's eyes had stopped watering, he was more than pleased with the results of the surgery.

Harry looked around his room in wonder. He could easily make out the gossamer strands of a spider web in one corner of his room. On the desk he could see one of his books, the title plainly visible, and easily read. In amazement Harry realized that he could actually see better now than he could previously with his glasses on.

Harry downed his daily growth potion, and as an afterthought also downed another dose of the healing potion he had made. At this point his stomach reminded him that he had skipped dinner the night before, and that potions were less than filling.

Harry grabbed his now non-prescription glasses, and put them on his face. He then went outside to meat Tonks for his morning run. After the run was over, Harry turned to Tonks with a question. "Are Fred and George members of the order?"

Tonks shook her head. "No, although it's not from lack of effort on their part. Since they never graduated Dumbledore has declined their offer of service, much to Molly's satisfaction. Why do you ask?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Well if they were in the order then I thought they might have shifts guarding me, and I sort of wanted to talk with them."

"I could relay a message to them, and have them meet you here after one of our run's." Tonks face suddenly brightened, "And I can make you a copy of the guard roster so that you know who is on duty at what time. Would you like that?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I would really appreciate that."

Tonks smiled, happy that her suggestion was well received. "Oh, and Harry, I was wondering if we could set a better routine for our run's. What I mean is that we need to set a specific time that you will meet me, so that I am not just waiting around for whenever you decide to come out."

"Well, when do you normally get here in the morning?"

"Oh, I am here from five to eight every morning. Then I go to work. I am actually taking a short shift, but since no one else wanted to run with you, no one has complained."

"How does five fifteen sound to you then?"

Tonks beamed. "That sounds great."

Harry decided to skip strength training today instead opting to take time for an extra large breakfast. He then returned to his room for long tedious hours of ancient runes study. The truth was that the runes were actually rather interesting. It was just the need to cram three years of study into one summer that was making the task odious.

Lunch was a solitary affair, as Harry had decided to fill his plate and return with it to his room. Petunia had not been happy at the amount of food her nephew was consuming, but was more than pleased not to have to eat with him. AS Harry Ate, he put away his Runes and organized everything for the defense project that he was working on for the D.A. Lessons.

After dinner, which Harry also took in his room, Harry rummaged through his old trunk until he finally found his almost unopened copy of Hogwarts, a History. He had gotten the book at Hermione's insistence years ago, but had never been able to make it past the first tedious chapter.

Now Harry eagerly flipped through the book until he found the section on the organization of the school. Harry read through the school charter multiple times, then reviewed the list of organizational changes made to Hogwarts over the years. Finally he perused the section on the authority, power, and responsibilities of the Hogwarts board of Governors.

A quick glance at the clock said that it was a little passed nine at night. Harry made a quick decision, and hoping that it wasn't too late, grabbed Hermione's phone number, and headed downstairs.

"Aunt Petunia, I am going to need to make a quick phone call, if that is alright with you." Harry saw that Petunia was about to object, and interjected, "Of course if you would prefer, I will just continue to send my owl."

That did it. Harry knew that Petunia especially hated the thought of her neighbors seeing Harry's owl leaving and returning with letters clutched in its talons. With a sigh of resignation Petunia replied, "Fine, use the one in the Kitchen, and don't make any foreign calls."

When Harry had dialed the number he waited impatiently while the phone rang three times before being answered. "Hello?" A woman's voice called out from the other end of the line.

"Ugh. Hello. Is, is Hermione there, this is Harry. Harry potter from, well I'm a friend of hers from school."

"Oh, Mr. Potter, I'm Hermione's mother. It is nice to hear your voice. Hermione talk's about you all the time. Do you mind if I enquire about what you want my daughter for, it is rather late."

Harry Groaned inwardly, "I apologize for the hour Mrs.," Harry suddenly remembered that Hermione's Parents were both Dentists, "I mean um Dr. Granger. It isn't anything urgent, I was just working on a proposal for school, and needed Hermione's advice. I don't sleep much these day's." Now that is the understatement of the year, thought Harry. "I am afraid that I didn't think. I can call back tomorrow if it would be more convenient."

Dr. Grangers musical laughter filled the lines, "No, no. That won't be necessary. Hermione seldom goes to sleep much before eleven anyways, let me go get her for you."

"Wait!" Harry blurted out before Dr. Granger could put down the phone.

"Is there something else you need?"

Harry took a deep breath, "Actually yes. I am afraid that my friend Ron and I may rely too much on Hermione's Help. I know that she loves to learn, but I fear she will burn herself out trying to help us with our projects, and pursuing her own interests. I don't really know how to say this, but could you make sure she takes time this summer to just have fun."

Harry heard Hermione's mother sigh, "It actually makes me feel better that you are worried about her too. I will make sure she takes a break from studying this summer, even if I have to lock away all of her books. It would set my mind at ease if I knew that you were doing the same at school."

"I swear that I will do my best."

A short while later Harry was explaining his plan to Hermione. After he had detailed what he wanted to do he asked her, "So, what do you think."

"Harry, that is insanely ambitious. I don't think a student has ever successfully attempted anything even remotely close to what you are talking about. Putting that aside, I think that you are right. We need something like this. What do you want me to do?"

Harry grinned, delighted that Hermione thought his idea was sound. "I was hoping you would proof read everything before I make my proposal. I will write everything up, but I will need your help to polish it before I talk to the Board of Governors. Also, do you know any members of the D.A. that had an interest in art or design?"

Hermione paused to think for a minute, "Well Parvarti and Lavender all always talking about wanting to design clothes after they graduate, I can't really say that I know of any one who does normal drawing type designs, why do you ask?"

"I would sort of like to get a Logo designed and a letterhead before my presentation, don't worry about it. I will take care of it."

After Harry's conversation with Hermione, and a quick shower and change of clothes, Harry sat down at his desk and started writing short letters to all of the members of the D.A. that would still be in school. By the time Harry was finished it was nearing twelve o'clock.

Harry sat his clock for four forty five in the morning, and settled himself onto his bed. Harry Concentrated on the pathways of his mind that had been opened by the Occlumency Potion, and after a time found himself once again found himself a thought, floating among his many memories.

Harry instantly went to work sorting and organizing his mind. The further he progressed the faster he was able to go, as he needed to stop fewer and fewer times to create a new classification for a memory. When the alarm once again broke Harry's trance, He was finally beginning to see some progress, as the random thoughts and memories floating through his mind seemed less crowded.

Harry was outside stretching, when he heard Tonks' boisterous laughter. "Harry, you are doing that all wrong. Here let me show you."

Tonks joined Harry, and started walking him through a set of stretching exercises, before leading him off at a brisk jog. By the end of the run, as usual, Harry was sweating profusely, panting like a dog, and barely able to stand, Tonks on the other hand hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Hey Tonks, before you agreed to run with me, how far were you running every morning?"

Tonks shrugged, "Three miles, why do you ask?"

Harry's heart sagged, "Our little jogs aren't helping you much then are they."

"Well Harry, they aren't as strenuous as I am use too, but don't get discouraged. You are actually doing far better than I did when they started us on our first run in the Auror Academy. Now I have a surprise for you. Fred and George have agreed to meet you, and should at this very minute be waiting in that little work out shed you normally go to."

With renewed vigor, Harry rushed off to see the twins. When he entered the shed that housed the exercise equipment he saw Fred and George hunched over one of the machines whispering fiercely.

Fred and George turned to Harry with matching dark looks on their faces, "What is this place?" George demanded.

"Yea, and do they use these things." Fred added.

"Vernon had this shed built for my cousin, but Dudley lets me use the equipment."

The twins shared looks of Horror, "Blimey Harry, who do you use it on?"

"You didn't Kidnap Malfoy did you?"

Harry shook his head, "What are you two on about, I don't use this stuff on anybody. I work out on these machines myself, although I have only done so a couple of time so far."

Fred looked bewildered, "Work out?"

George cocked his head to one side, before slowly asking, "So these aren't muggle tortue devices?"

Harry threw his head back and Laughed. Wiping tears from his eyes he shook his head, "Well some people might disagree with you on that. These are muggle strength training machines"

The twins looked at the different apparatus for a couple of minutes before Fred started nodding, "I think I get it."

George turned back towards Harry, "So what did you want to talk to us about?"

Harry grinned wickedly, "Three things actually. First I hear that you are having trouble getting accepted into the Order?" The scowls on the twins' faces were enough to answer that question. "I say stop trying. Instead, join me. Dumbledore sees us as children, even if you are allowed into the order, do you think he will trust you with important assignments? Do you think he will even remember to call you forth to battle when needed? Or will he waste your talents as he tries to protect you from a war that desperately needs your help."

The twins stared at each other for a couple of minutes. Not for the first time Harry wondered if they could communicate in some way other than words. After a brief moment the two twins turned back towards Harry and drew their wands. The two then simultaneously knelt down on one knee. They then placed their Wands above their hearts. Bowed there Heads and the in unison recited.

"We pledge to thee our service, our wands, yea our very lives. For Victory and glory, or death and eternal fame. Lord Potter, we are yours to command."

Harry was shaken as the Magic of their combined vow slammed into him, permanently tying Harry and the Weasly twins together. "What was that?" Harry whispered almost reverently.

The twins looked rather shaken too, but after only a few moments, one of them replied, "Ancient Weasly oath, originally given to Lord Godric Gryffindor."

The other twin joined in, "We knew it was binding, but we didn't realize it was actually Magically Binding."

The twins seemed to be regaining some of their normal mirth as they continued, "So in the words of a muggle movie, 'what is thy bidding my master'"

Harry shook his head. "You know that I won't be able to really take the fight to Voldemort until I am of age. By that time I want to be ready to fight, so I need you to gather as much information as possible between now and then. Also try to recruit to our cause, but quietly. We need friends if we are to take on the Death Eaters. Also don't neglect your shop. We need the laughter, and it provides a great place for people to nonchalantly meet and talk."

"Also keep an eye out for anything you invent that could be useful for the war. I may even give you some non-joke related inventions to work on. First of all though, we need a secure way of communicating."

Harry paused before continuing, "I wasn't planning on discussing any of that today when I asked to see you." Harry removed his glasses and tossed them to George. "This is actually what I had in mind. I don't need those to see anymore, so I was wondering if you had any ideas for spells that could be added to them. I was actually thinking about Mad-eye's Eye, but figured you two were the best to ask."

George put the glasses on, and looked at Fred, "Well what do you think?"

"They really aren't you, but for Harry we might be able to do something."

George tossed the glasses back to Harry, "Give us a few days to think about it, I am sure we can come up with something."

"Lastly, I was wondering if I could use you guy's to mass mail things for me. I assume that since you have a mail order business as well as the shop you have access to multiple owls. There will be quite a few times over the summer that I want to send out letters to groups of people, and I really don't want to overtax Hedwig."

Fred responded quickly, "That isn't a problem Harry, we can"

"use the public post in Diagon Alley." George finished.

"Wait here then, let me grab the first batch." With that Harry Rushed back to his room, and collected the stack of letters he had written the night before.

When Harry returned, Fred and George eagerly accepted the letters. They insisted on staying to watch as Harry worked out on the muggle exercise equipment. Before the twins departed they presented him with an assortment of new joke items, including a small bottle of "Potter Pills" which they claimed would, of course, have no effect on Harry. Harry wasn't sure if the pills were real, or if the twins were just giving him a hard time.

After the visit from the twins, the week settled into a routine, with Harry spending between four and eight hours a night organizing his mind. Most of this time differed only in the memories that were sorted. One interesting exception had occurred though during one of Harry's Meditations. He had been sorting memories when he saw something out of the corner of his eye that definitely did not look like it fit with the quidditch theme of Harry's mind. Harry's consciousness chased after this anomaly until he found himself in possession of what looked like a piece to a jigsaw puzzle. Upon closer examination he realized it was one of Professor Snape's memories that had been transferred to him during the Legilimens curse. Harry wondered if it took the form it did because of the description in his Occlumency book but decided that the why wasn't important right now. Harry had mentally conjured a small desk in one corner of his mind and placed the puzzle piece on it. As Harry's mind became more and more organized, he continued to find more of these small pieces of Snape scattered among his memories.

Harry was also progressed rapidly in his physical training, especially his endurance in running, which amazed Tonks to no end. Harry didn't bother to tell the young Auror that his rapid improvement was a combination of the growth potion and the Healing potions that Harry was taking regularly. These two potions allowed Harry to build muscle mass more quickly than would normally be possible, as well as allowing quicker recovery from his workouts. Indeed by the time Harry was beginning to feel the need to take his first weekly nap, Harry could actually detect the changes in his body while looking in the mirror. This gave Harry hope that by the time the summer was over he would no longer look like a little boy, but like a young man.

Harry also spent at least three hours a day studying Runes. The remainder of his time was spent pouring over defense books, and working on the two D.A. related projects he had set for himself. He had been delighted to receive replies from all of the members of the D.A. stating that they were more than willing to continue with the club if Harry could get it sanctioned. Actually, most of the letters had included statements to the effect that even if Harry didn't get the club sanctioned they were interested in continuing with it. Even Marietta Edgecomb had tentatively agreed to continue with the D.A. on the condition that she and Harry have the opportunity to talk prior to her rejoining the group.

Hermione had been correct about Parvarti and Lavender's interest in clothing design, however neither girl was interested in design that wasn't related to clothing. To Harry's delight however Ernie McMillan, and Hanna Abbot had both responded that they loved to draw. Harry was surprised to learn that Cho Chang was also a budding artist.

He had quickly responded to those three students and asked them to design a letterhead, an emblem that could be used for a pin or a clasp, and a crest for the D.A. He told them that they could do as many designs as they desired, but that he needed their designs by the no later than the 10th of August, so that the D.A. Members could vote on which one's would become the official standard for the D.A.

* I actually know a Dr. Bonebreak. He is a general practitioner, and not at all underhanded.


	5. Chapter 5 Further Progression

I am claim to own nothing, and am doing this not to get paid, but simply for fun, and hopefully some of you enjoy it as well. Oh, and this is the last of what I consider my foundation chapters. After this, things start to pick up a bit.

**Further Progression**

Harry woke in pain. Not the type of pain, and not the type of pain that he was use to waking up in either. His scar was fine. In fact his head was just about the only part of Harry Potter that didn't hurt. Every bone in his body ached, especially his joints. Just about every muscle on Harry's frame throbbed, and to top it off, his skin felt too tight. Harry didn't even know skin could feel too tight until he woke up.

With a painful groan Harry rolled out of bed and looked at his clock. Four hours, he had only been asleep for four hours. Why did he feel so bloody stiff? Instinctively Harry reached for his glasses, only to knock them off of his nightstand. "Just bloody perfect," he mumbled, not even noticing Jezzie repeating the phrase in Latin. Harry took a step forward to retrieve his glasses, and promptly cracked his shin against his bed frame.

Harry hopped on one foot while holding his shin. His hopping brought him in contact with his old school trunk, which managed to trip him. Harry barely bit back a vehement curse as he landed flat on his back on the floor. Harry decided that the way this day was going, it was simply safer to remain of the floor for a few minutes. In exasperation he spoke aloud, "Could somebody please tell me what the bloody hell is wrong with me this morning?"

Harry was surprised to Hear Bob answer, "Do you really want to know, or was that rhetorical?"

Harry groaned and forced himself to sit up. "I would really like to know. I don't suppose you have an answer do you?"

Jezzie responded, "Of course we know what your problem is dear. It's quite obvious actually."

Harry bit back a sarcastic response, "Well, what is it?"

Bob supplied the answer, "You grew about four inches during the last four hours, and you haven't compensated for it yet."

"What!" Harry exclaimed. "Four inches, that's bloody impossible."

Jezzie stated, "Well I am not sure why you are so surprised, you have been drinking the disgusting smelling potion every day."

Harry struggled to stand up. The pain was slowly starting to reach manageable levels, so Harry tentatively took a few hesitant steps towards his trunk. He retrieved the potion's book to review the chapter on the medical potion he was taking. This time instead of simply skimming the section, he read in detail the effects of the potion he had been consuming. Harry mentally kicked himself as he realized that he hadn't bothered to read how the potion worked before.

The potion was designed to accelerate an individual's ability to transform food into muscle and bone mass, or fat. The potion should at the same time undo any damage previously existing within the muscle and bone mass of a patient. The actual height gains were designed to occur when the patient was asleep. The author had pointed out that it was important to get at minimum eight hours of sleep a night, especially during the first month, as ninety percent of height was recovered in this time, and the more amount of sleep a person got the longer the body had to accomplish this growth.

Harry quickly did the math in his head, eight hours of sleep a night seven nights a week. That came out to fifty-six recommended hours of sleep. The dreamless draught actually worked to condense a person's sleep. This was why it was so hard to be awoken during the few hours of sleep you received. Harry suddenly realized in horror that the two potions were working exactly like they were suppose to, and the unforeseen side effect was that Harry had just forced what would normally be an uncomfortable fifty six hours of growth to occur in an agonizing four. No wonder he bloody well hurt so much.

Harry's next thought was even more distressing. The draught lasted for four weeks at a time. Harry was in for three more experiences like today before he could even do anything about it, and by that time it would be too late to do much. Harry staggered to the bathroom and dug through Uncle Vernon's medicine cabinet for the strongest muggle pain relievers he could find. As Harry swallowed the pills he mumbled to himself, "I had better make a powerful pain reducing potion before next week."

Harry stumbled back to his room and finally managed to grab his glasses. With a sigh he realized that it was almost five in the morning, and Tonks would be waiting for him for their morning run. Exercise was the absolute last thing Harry wanted to do right now, but he didn't want to rouse Tonks' suspicion, so he forced himself down the stairs.

"Wother Harry, you look like death warmed over. You feeling alright?" Tonks looked at Harry with obvious concern in her eyes.

"Not really. I had a rough night, and I'm still feeling a little groggy."

During their morning stretches Harry almost fell over twice, just barely keeping his balance. They hadn't gotten even halfway down the block before Harry's feet got in each other's way and stumbled sideways, crashing into Tonks in an attempt to keep himself upright.

Tonks stopped her running, and looked at Harry in concern. "Harry, when you said you had a rough night, I didn't realize you meant you were drunk."

Harry blushed, "I'm not drunk. Just a little uncoordinated today."

"Uncoordinated my eye, Mundungus after an all night binge looks like a bloody ballet dancer compared to you today."

Fortunately for Harry the rest of the run went slightly better, and by the time Harry made it back to what he had started to think of as the 'Weight shed' he was only stumbling slightly every tenth step or so. Harry put in a halfhearted workout on the equipment, then rushed inside to sate the hunger that was beginning to challenge Harry's aches for prize of most annoying pain. Since Harry was in earlier than normal from his exercises his aunt wasn't up yet.

Harry decided to make breakfast for the house, and proceeded to cook enough food for the entire family. He then to his own horror, ate the entire meal, and had to prepare a second breakfast before his relatives woke up. After he had eaten a normal sized helping of the second breakfast, Harry returned to his room.

Harry realized that with the aching and throbbing he probably wasn't' going to get much out of studying, so instead decided to write some letters to his friends. Harry outlined some of the less sensitive plans he was working on, and promising them that he was making good progress on the endeavors they had discussed a little over a week prior. On a whim, Harry also included short note to Ginny asking her if she had made a decision regarding his offer of friendship. He hoped that she would understand that he was asking if she was ok after Ron had shared the prophecy with her.

Harry then handed the two letters to Hedwig, and instructed her take them to Ron and Hermione. When Hedwig had flown out the window, Harry set his alarm, and then settled himself cross legged on the bed to see if he could meditate while in this much pain.

To Harry's surprise as soon as he had activated the magically enhance meditation, all thoughts of pain and discomfort instantly disappeared. He worked the rest of the day on organizing his mind, pausing only for lunch and dinner. At lunch he had explained to Jezzie and Bob what he was doing, so that they wouldn't feel obligated to just hang around waiting for him to use their services.

At dinner Harry was glad to see that Hedwig had returned from her errand, and had brought a reply from one of his friends. After a few moments of consideration, Harry decided to save the letter for when he was in less pain. With that thought in mind Harry, returned to his Meditation.

Shortly after dinner, Harry repeated the now instinctual process of summon memory, identify memory, classify memory, shelve memory, for what felt like the millionth time. When he attempted to repeat the process he realized, to his shock, that there were no longer any memories floating around his mind. Harry's shock at finishing the first stage of his Occlumency training almost shook him from his trance.

Harry drifted over to where he had stored the memories of Occlumency, and reviewed them carefully to make sure he understood the next step. As it turned out the next step of the process was actually fairly simple. Harry had his memories sorted, but not necessarily organized.

Harry drifted into the center of the space that was his mind. For a brief moment Harry contemplated the filled bookshelves that surrounded him. Harry then determined the order that he wanted the shelves to be arranged in. Harry then focused his will on the new arrangement, and watched as the shelves flew around him in angry swirl before settling where Harry wanted them.

Harry expected the next step of the process to be even more tedious and time consuming then the original organization. Harry now needed to organize each individual bookshelf. Harry wasn't sure exactly what system he was organizing his memories by, but as soon as he started, he knew exactly where each memory in a given bookcase should go in regards to the others.

It was with shock that Harry realized that he was almost done with this stage of his task by the time his alarm clock forced him back to the waking world to join Tonks for yet another run.

Harry was grateful that a combination of his meditation and healing potion had managed to finally dispel the awful aching from the day before. He was still feeling uncoordinated, but with the pain gone he was able to focus enough to prevent himself from looking like a fool. He attacked the weight machines with a vengeance, partially to make up for his halfhearted effort from the day before, and partially from fear that he would start to develop a gut.

Harry was still on an emotional high after his progress with ordering his mind. This caused Harry to attack his Runes study with more enthusiasm than normal. Harry had been working for almost an hour, when Ron's owl, Pig, flew into the room. As soon as Harry saw Pigwidgeon he immediately felt guilty about not opening the letter he had received the day before.

Harry opened Ron's letter, while pig flew around the room noisily. The letter was short, full of code, and took longer for Harry to decipher than it did to read. It simply stated.

_I have been working diligently on 4 9 and 16. Haven't gotten passed 9 85 12 yet, but am getting close can't wait to discuss with you took me four bloody tries to get 4 12 1-44 right. Received unexpected aid in our endeavor not shared by Hermione. Have complete notes for two years, will copy and send. Wouldn't be half as far as I am without the copy of the DD you sent me. Dead useful that._

_Ron_

Harry translated the letter in his head to read

I have been working diligently on Occlumency I haven't gotten past the first step yet, but feel I am getting close. I can't wait to discuss it with you. It took me four attempts to make the Occlumency potion. Someone gave me two years worth of complete notes for Ancient runes. I will copy them and send them to you. I wouldn't be as far along as I am if it wasn't for the Dreamless Draught.

Harry suddenly realized with a start that he had remembered not only which book was numbered what, but also what was on the page numbers that Ron had referenced. Harry realized that one of the effects of organizing his mind was that he could recall information clearer and more completely then he ever could have before. This would make taking tests far easier he realized.

When Harry opened the letter that Hedwig had brought him the day before he was shocked to see that it too was from Ron.

_"Hey Harry, I just sent pig with a letter for you not more than ten minutes before Hedwig showed up. I forgot to tell you that I am pretty confident on the first 7 chapters of the first book in that project we are working on. I wanted you to tell me where you were in your study so I can figure how far behind I am. It is hard finding as much time to study I as want. Wow I never thought I would say that. Although in all honesty Mom has been pretty light on the work she assigns me. Ginny says she is fine, although she cried for almost a day after I talked to her. Mom was furious that that neither Ginny nor I would tell her what I had done to upset my sister so bad._

_Ron_

Harry wondered if Pig had been delayed somehow, since Hedwig had arrived over twelve hours before the diminutive owl. Harry Caught the little owl, and looked all over him, but could see no sign of damage, spell or otherwise. Harry then looked at Hedwig in puzzlement, and could have sworn that his owl winked at him before going back to sleep.

Harry quickly wrote a reply to Ron that he was on chapter 10, and then gave the note to pig to return home with.

For the rest of the day, nothing outside the ordinary interrupted the Harry's studies. The speed that Harry read at had slowed down, as the L.L.'s had requested that Harry read everything out loud in order to help with his language studies. By the time that the sun had gone down, Harry was past eager to work on the next stage of his Occlumency.

Harry quickly slipped back into his Occlumency mediation, only to have his excitement suddenly replaced by anger. The empty expanse of his mind was no longer empty. There were now numerous memories randomly floating around again. In anger Harry seized the first memory to drift too close to him. As soon as he identified the memory, Harry's anger was replaced by a feeling of stupidity. The memory Harry had seized was that of his letter from Ron.

Harry quickly realized that the floating memories and thoughts were the events of the day, waiting to be sorted and organized. In almost no time there were no loose memories, and Harry was able to finish the job he had started the night before. When everything was sorted and organized Harry steeled himself for the next step of the process.

Now came the time to hide the prophecy. Harry had to proceed with extreme caution, because if he hid the prophecy too well, he would lose a great deal of his focus, and purpose. On the other hand if he didn't hide it, and Voldemort came poking around, having an entire bookcase titled Prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort would probably grab the dark lords attention.

The firs step to hiding the prophecy was to connect it to the rest of Harry's mind. Harry focused on connecting each of his memories that involved the prophecy. When he was done, there was a thin gold thread connecting each of the memories in the prophecy case. Harry then started to link those memories to other memories as well. He connected them with golden strings of thought to everything he loved in the wizarding world, everything that was worth Killing Voldemort for. When he was done, Harry mentally pushed the prophecy case backwards until it was no longer in line with all of the other cases that formed the border of Harry's mind. He then slid the case containing his memories of how to cook in front of the prophecy case concealing the case, and the memories completely.

Harry hoped that the prophecy was connected well enough to the rest of his mind to still allow access, even though that access wouldn't be quick and easy anymore. If he had failed to connect it properly, Harry knew that when he left the trance he would not only forget where he had hid the information. He would forget that there had been a prophecy to hide.

Now all Harry needed to do was forge similar connections with all the rest of his memories. As he worked he found some of the connections were easy, as they had already started to form. Other connections required a great deal of concentration. Harry felt like nothing more then a giant spider as his consciousness floated in the middle of his mind connecting countless golden strands of thought from memory to memory.

When the alarm sounded in the morning. Harry fearfully returned to the outside word. His first thought upon opening his eyes was, "Can I still remember the prophecy?" Followed by, "Well at least I still remember there is a prophecy, that is a good sign."

Harry found that he needed to focus deeply in order to access his memories of the prophecy, but he could access them. With a sense of serious accomplishment Harry started his day in it's usual fashion. After Breakfast Harry received a shocking surprise from the L.L.'s. The two diminutive beings had been giving Harry strange looks ever since he woke up.

Finally Jezzie said to Harry, "So, are you planning on doing anything unusual today, or same old same old?"

Harry was puzzled by the question, but responded, "No, nothing out of the ordinary, why?"

Bob burst out laughing, "He doesn't even know honey."

Harry was starting to get a little upset, "What don't I know?"

Both L.L.'s were rolling with laughter now, "What did you say Harry?"

"I asked what it is that you find so bleeding funny that I don't know."

Bob finally forced himself to calm down, "Harry, think about our conversation just a little bit ago. Focus on the actual words that were said."

Harry decided to give his two small friends the benefit of the doubt before he strangled them. He cast his thoughts back to what he had said. Suddenly he realized the answer wasn't in what was said, but in how it was said. More specifically, the answer was in the language that it was said in.

When Jezzie saw the recognition in Harry's eyes she started in. "Harry, I would say that you are now easily beyond conversational Latin. In fact I think that you have progressed enough that to have us continue to tutor you in this particular language would be a waste of time."

Harry was confused, "I thought you said that it would take at least another week and a half for me to grasp Latin?"

Bob nodded, "And judging by your progress when you closed your eyes last night we were right." When you came out of your trance this morning you had done the equivalent of two weeks of Linguistic magic in about six hours."

For a moment Harry wondered what had been so special about his actions in Occlumency the night before. Suddenly it dawned on him. The connections. He had connected every Latin word he had learned with its English paring. He had done the same with the rules of grammar. A stray thought ran through his head, "I guess that means my Latin grammar isn't any better than my English."

Harry wondered aloud, "Is that a normal byproduct of Occlumency?"

Bob flapped his wings, "I honestly don't know. Jezzie and I are actually pretty young, why I am not a day over three hundred and sixty, and we have only been teaching humans for the last four years. I have never run into anyone who could forge those connections as fast as you did though."

Jezzie interjected, "I haven't met anyone, but I have heard rumors. Supposedly there is a Dumbledore who knows almost every language able to be spoken by humans. I also heard about a Crouch fellow who had learned close to a hundred languages from our kind in around a year."

Bob shrugged, "Well Harry, what language to you want to learn next?"

Harry wasn't sure what to answer when an image of the other members of the tri-wizard tournament came to mind, Harry quickly made up his mind, "French."

Jezzie whispered something seductive sounding in Harry's ear. This caused Bob to roll his eyes, "You just made my wife very happy. She loves French."

It took Harry two more nights to finish connecting his thoughts. Now came the difficult step of protecting his nicely ordered mind. The books had all been somewhat vague as to how to accomplish this though. The best description Harry could find is that it was similar to laying protective wards around a house. This would be fine, except Harry had no idea how to lay wards.

To Harry's great dismay he discovered that among the many books that he had purchased, there wasn't even one book on creating wards. In the end Harry decided that he didn't need to know how to lay actual wards, he just needed to be able to envision exactly what he wanted his mental wards to do and construct them with sheer force or will, similar to how he constructed the cases that housed all of his memories.

Hoping that he was right Harry entered his trance. He decided to lay his protections similar to the lines of a concentric circle. The outermost line that Harry envisioned was not so much a line of protection as it was a line of warning. Its purpose was to alert Harry to an intruder. Next Harry placed lines of Fire, acid and ice that would activate if anyone other than Harry himself entered. He followed this with gale force winds to drive back an intruder, and a line that would activate a banshee-like wail.

One of the Occlumency books had indicated that it was possible to place guardians inside your mind as well as defensive wards. The guardians would do actual battle with any intruder who entered. Harry had put a lot of thought into what type of guardian he should attempt to create. In the end he had decided upon a guardian he already knew to be dependable. His patronus.

Harry focused on prongs as he had seen him in the past, and willed him into existence within his mind. At least he tried to will prongs into existence. He could feel the thought trying to take form, but the only evidence off his effort was a light mist in his mind. Harry focused on the mist, and poured his will, and determination into the form. At first he struggled to no avail, then slowly the mist started to take shape. The concentration needed to form the guardian was greater even then the willpower Harry had summoned to drive back Voldemort in the graveyard.

With grim determination, Harry struggled to bring his guardian into being. Slowly, the features clarified, and the mist solidified Until Prongs stood in all his proud glory. This wasn't the same Prongs as Harry's Patronus. This Prongs was even more solid, more defined, and more deadly looking. It's antlers were brilliant silver blades, each one ending in a needle sharp point. His hooves were polished steel, and powerful muscles rippled under silver skin. The brilliant silver stag strode around the interior of Harry's mind, looking, inspecting, and judging. When the guardian was satisfied it bowed gracefully toward Harry, then stood still.

If Harry had had a body in this place he would have been shaking from the effort already expended. Harry however wasn't Finished. This time, however, Harry knew what to expect. He summoned his will and his strength before beginning. This time he didn't start with a wish for the guardian to come forth, but a powerful command followed by an instant outpouring of will, and all the power Harry had at his disposal.

The process went much smoother this time. Before long, a large shaggy silver dog stood stoically beside the stag. The dog looked as much like Padfood as a silver dog could look like a black dog. His powerful muscles appeared ready to spring into action at a moments notice, and razor sharp steel teeth filled its mouth.

One last time Harry summoned his strength and will, then went to work. Harry thought for a moment that he had made a mistake, and would be unable to complete the formation of the third guardian. With a Herculean effort of will, Harry drew upon hidden reserves of strength, and just barely managed to force the third and last Guardian into existence.

A large Powerful silver werewolf stood poised in front of Harry. This wasn't the raging mad beast that Harry had encountered outside the shrieking shack. Nor was it the docile defeated creature that Remus transformed into when under the effect of the Wolfsbane potion. This was a noble, and intelligent being. A blend of the power and savagery of the beast, tempered with the strength and character of Remus Lupin. In short, this was the wolf that Harry's father had roamed the forest with. This was the creature that could only be brought out by the love and acceptance of his friends. Or at least this was How Harry envisioned Lupin's potential.

For the first time since Harry had started his Occlumency training Harry opened his eyes from his meditation before the alarm sounded. Harry was exhausted. Not tired, but drained and without even the will left to raise his head. Slowly his lips curled up into a smile. He was done. He had mastered Occlumency.

The realistic part of Harry's mind reminded him that Occlumency had to be constantly practice if it was to be useful so it wasn't something that could be 'mastered'. This same voice also pointed out that until someone tried to break into his mind he wouldn't know of any of his defenses would actually work. Thirdly the pessimistic voice commented that those wards would need redone once Harry had learned how to make proper wards. Not even these thoughts were enough to dampen Harry's spirits.

Slowly strength returned to Harry and he stood up. With the feeling of euphoria coursing through his veins, Harry shut off the alarm that would sound in less then an hour, and sat down at his desk. He looked at the progress of his three main projects, and decided that it was almost time to send his proposal to Hermione. With that thought in mind Harry leafed through the packet of information he was planning on sending along with the actual proposal. He then carefully reread the Proposal itself, and made a few small alterations. When he was satisfied that it was as good as he could make it, Harry carefully bundled the large group of parchments together and set them on his desk to mail to Hermione later in the day.

After his morning workout, Harry returned to his study of Runes. One of the side effects of Occlumency was that Harry was able to learn much more quickly then he was use to. His memory, and recall were what he would have considered phenomenal just two weeks earlier. He also found that having an uncluttered mind allowed him to focus his intellect more directly, and gain an understanding of concepts more quickly.

Harry was occasionally reminded however that that while Occlumency did these things for him; it did not actually make him any smarter. There were some concepts that Harry had come across in his study that simply did not make sense to him. Also there where times when Harry would find himself struggling over phrases from his books for hours before he finally came to grips with the underlying idea or purpose they were meant to explain.

Harry had stopped feeling guilty about not sharing the Dreamless draught with Hermione when she had sent him an update on her pursuit of Occlumency, and Harry had discovered that she had actually organized her mind before Harry had accomplished that same goal. She was spending an hour or two a night on her task, and was only still almost ready to start warding her mind. Harry could only assume that Hermione had posses a naturally well-ordered mind before beginning the process. He was actually a little terrified of what Hermione might be able to accomplish once she reached the point in Occlumency that Harry was at.

Shortly after lunch, Harry sent Hedwig off to Hermione with her package. After a few moments of contemplation, Harry decided that he would warn Hermione about what he had sent her. The simple truth was that he just wanted to hear a friendly voice. When Harry exited his room, he was relieved to discover that his aunt had left on some errand or other. In Harry's mind, this meant that he didn't need to ask permission to use the phone.

Harry dialed the number, and waited. To his delight, Hermione answered the phone, "Hello, Granger residence, this is Hermione speaking."

"Hermione? It's me Harry."

"Harry, this is great timing. I just got your package."

Harry thought he must have misunderstood her, "What was that Hermione?"

"I said that Hedwig just dropped off your package. I have opened it, but haven't had time to finish reading the main proposal yet."

Harry's blood was pounding in through his veins, "Hermione, I just sent Hedwig not less then ten minutes ago."

Silence hung heavy on the line for a few moments before Hermione replied. "Harry, that isn't possible. She was here five minutes ago, and already left. Something strange is going on. We should tell Dumbledore."

"Nooooo!" Harry screamed into the phone.

It took Hermione a moment to recover from the deafening noise before she continued. "Harry there is no way an owl should have been able to fly between your house and mine in less then a few hours. If someone is tampering with your owl we need to tell someone."

Harry was so shook up, he was almost in tears when as he tried to explain, "We can't Hermione. If they think Hedwig isn't safe they might try to take her away from me. Hedwig isn't just an owl. She was my first real friend. I can't take that kind of chance. I can't trust the adults to see things my way. You do understand, don't you?"

"But Harry, what if someone is tampering with your mail?"

"If Hedwig got to your place in less then five minutes, that is hardly enough time for someone to have read the package now is it?"

Hermione conceded that point, "Well, no. What if they are casting some sort of charm on the mail itself?"

Harry considered this for a moment, "Let me make a deal with you. I will send you another letter tomorrow. Don't open it, or even touch it. After you get it you can contact Dumbledore with your concern about the safety of the post. If he finds anything wrong with the letter, we can tell him about Hedwig. If he doesn't think it shows any signs of tampering then you help me keep this quiet."

Hermione reluctantly agreed, "Ok Harry, but someone has to be doing something. Post owls are magical, but they can't teleport or fly at supersonic speeds."

Harry tried to laugh off Hermione's concerns, "It's probably just Dobby being helpful. You remember when he confiscated all of my mail after our first year at Hogwarts? That shows he can mess with the post, and he can pop around just like apparition."

"Ok Harry, I will drop it for now. Why were you calling, since it probably wasn't to talk about Hedwig."

Harry suddenly felt foolish, "Actually I was calling to warn you that I had sent the package, and to ask you if you could look over it and have it back to me by the end of the month. I want to do one more revision of it before the board meeting on the thirteenth."

Hermione, laughed, "Harry, that is two weeks away. I think I will be able to find the time to proofread it by then. I could probably have it back in a couple of days if you want."

Harry and Hermione just talked for the next couple of minutes. Harry finally said goodbye as he heard his aunt coming in the front door. When Harry returned to his room, he saw that Hedwig's cage was still empty. On a hunch, Harry leaned out the window and looked up. He could just barely see Hedwig's tail feathers peeking out past the eaves. "I know you are back already girl, why don't you just come on inside."

Hedwig immediately responded by gliding down through the window and landing on Harry's shoulder, much to the annoyance of Bob. Harry stroked his owl's feathers for a few minutes while surreptitiously inspecting her at the same time. Eventually he was satisfied that she was completely unharmed. "Hey girl I don't know how you are getting around so quickly, but if you don't like what is happening, or you don't think it's safe you don't need to deliver any more post."

Hedwig hooted indignantly and nipped Harry's ear. She then flew over to his desk and stuck out her leg as if she expected Harry to give her a letter immediately, just so she could prove that she was still up to the task.

"Hedwig I wasn't trying to insult your ability. I just don't want you to get hurt, you are way more important to me than any mail I might want to send." Hedwig looked only slightly mollified, so Harry continued. "Ok, I won't take you off of mail duty, but you need to let me know if anything bad happens." A sarcastic voice in Harry's head pointed out that talking to owls wasn't an activity that sane people engaged in. After a moment Harry reminded himself that talking to oneself wasn't exactly the definition of sanity either.

Since Hedwig still looked eager for her next assignment, Harry sat down at his desk and started to compose a letter. When he was finished he sealed the parchment with wax and looked at Hedwig. "Well, I hope you are up for a real challenge this time. I want you to take this to the Wizarding publishing house by Diagon alley. Find someone that works there who is important enough to make decisions, and intelligent enough to compose a response to my query. I know that isn't a normal request. So, are you up for it?"

The words were barely out of Harry's mouth before Hedwig snatched the letter away from him, and disappeared out the window. Harry smiled at the window for a few minutes before realizing sickly that he wasn't ready to send that letter. In a panic Harry pulled out the D.A. lessons he had been working on, and attacked the project with renewed vigor tinged with desperation.

Hedwig returned almost two hours looking extremely smug, and carrying a reply to Harry's letter. Harry opened the letter cautiously and began to read.

_Dear Mr. Potter_

_I must say I am almost as intrigued by how your owl found me, as I am the content of your letter. I have a number of quite powerful wards around my office to prevent me from having to deal with common owl post while I am at work. It appears however that post from you does not fall into that category. The lovely white owl that is perched on the edge of my desk, watching me even as I pen this reply, evidences this fact._

_In answer to your question we occasionally do private printings. They are fairly expensive, but not excessively so. We also offer an editing service if you so desire. Our magical Editing is second to none, and usually takes less than a week. Printing can be set up in a matter of hours. I understand your desire for anonymity, and as such request that you send your manuscript directly to me. I will unfortunately be out of the office for the next week, but will be back by the twenty-fifth at the latest._

_Sincerely Charles Guttenberg III Editor & owner of Magical manuscripts publishing co._

Harry breathed a sigh of relief that quickly turned into a yawn. Everything was coming together nicely. Harry was almost surprised to find himself growing tired, and had to remind himself that it was about time for his weekly nap. Harry remembered how hungry he had been after his last magically induced growth spurt, and decided to gorge himself before going to sleep.

Vernon and Petunia were horrified at the amount of food that Harry managed to eat that night at dinner. On more than one occasion Harry thought that his uncle was going to say something, but Vernon somehow managed to restrain himself. Dudley, who had actually been adhering to a diet this summer, looked almost in awe of Harry's appetite. When dinner was over, there was only one solitary piece of chocolate cake left. Petunia had expected the cake to serve for at least thee nights of dessert.

Harry noticed Dudley looking longingly at the cake. Unfortunately for Dudley, Harry wasn't the only one that noticed. Harry watched in a combination of horror, and amusement, as Bob flew over to Dudley's ear. In a puff of smoke Bob allowed himself to become visible to Dudley.

Dudley's eyes almost popped out of his head at the sight of the little devil hovering above his right shoulder. Before Dudley could say anything Bob spoke in a low seductive voice. "Go ahead Dudley. Eat the cake. You know you want to. One piece of cake isn't going to hurt you. Just take one bite. It will make you feel better."

Jezzie suddenly appeared above Dudley's left shoulder. "Remember dear, you are on a diet. Think about your goals in life. A piece of cake isn't worth throwing it all away for. Just leave the cake where it is."

Bob's voice dropped even lower, "Eat the cake Dudley. You are week. You know you are. Go ahead. Give in to temptation. Satisfy your desire. Eat the cake!"

Vernon and Petunia were of course unaware what was going on. They were taken completely by surprise when Dudley suddenly picked the piece of cake up in his meaty hand, and threw it violently across the room, before yelling. "I will not eat the cake. I am not week! You are the devil and I'm not listening to you any more! You can't make me eat it! I will never eat the cake again!" By the time Dudley finished yelling he was practically in tears. The large boy ran from the room screaming, "Leave me alone you red bastard!"

It took a superhuman effort for Harry to keep from bursting out laughing. Outwardly calm, Harry turned to look at Petunia. He then politely stated, "Personally aunt Petunia, I thought the cake was delicious." Harry then stood up and calmly left the room.

As soon as Harry was safely in his own room he allowed himself to collapse onto his bed with laughter. "I hope you are happy now." Harry said to Bob, as soon as he regained some measure of composure.

Bob looked sullen, as he answered, "Not really. Jezzie won the blasted bet."

Harry barely remembered to set out the pain relieving potion he had brewed earlier in the week, before he let sleep claim him. Six hours later he woke up in complete, familiar agony. Harry very slowly, and carefully reached out to grasp the vial of Pain relieving potion from his bedside. He downed the foul tasting concoction, in one gulp, and felt the immediate lessening of his pain. Harry slowly stretched and started to cautiously move about his room.

"Wow, another four incher." Harry heard Bob comment.

Harry looked at himself, "how can you tell how much I grew? I know I am taller, but without measuring myself before and after I wouldn't have a clue what the actual difference was."

Bob laughed, "Harry, when you are three and a quarter inches from the soles of your feet to the tip of your horns, you notice something like a four-inch growth spurt."

Harry paused in his slow pacing, "I hadn't thought about it like that." Harry suddenly had an idea. "Hey, you were there when Hermione cast the diagnostic charm on me. I don't suppose you can tell me how much more I will actually grow?"

"Five and one quarter inches dear," Jezzie replied. "That is of course if that spell was accurate and your potion works properly. Who knows maybe you screwed up the potion and will be growing four inches a week for the rest of your life."

Harry shuddered at the thought. The laughter of Bob and Jezzie let him know that they were only joking. With a glance at the clock, Harry realized that he had almost three hours before his run with Tonks. He quickly downed a healing potion, along with his growth potion. He then decided it was time to face one of the tasks he had been dreading for two weeks.

He quickly settled himself into the now familiar meditative trance for his Occlumency. He found himself passing effortlessly through his protective warding. He nodded a greeting to his guardians, took a second to instinctually put away and connect the few memories that had collected since his last meditation.

Harry steeled his resolve, and approached the table with all of the Snape related puzzle pieces on it. He determinedly began the task of putting the puzzle together. Even though there were few pieces, Harry found the task daunting. Each piece of the puzzle was completely unrelated to the ones it attached to. There was no pattern, or picture becoming visible. Harry had to simply find the right pieces that fit.

With grim satisfaction Harry snapped the last piece of the puzzle into place. The overall puzzle was ovular with uneven edges. Harry looked at it for a time before picking up the "key" memory that he had seen in the pensieve. Without giving himself any more time to think about his action, Harry slammed the memory down into the completed puzzle.

As soon as the key memory had made contact with the rest of the Snape memories the puzzle changed. There were no longer any individual memories visible; instead the puzzle now had the appearance of a mirror. Harry's innate curiosity spurred him onward, and he allowed his consciousness to make contact with the mirror shaped puzzle.

Harry's eyes snapped open, and he clamped his mouth shut in an attempt not to scream. He was only partially successful before his eyes rolled back in his head and the boy who lived passed out in pain in the middle of his bedroom.

Harry was only out for a minute. When he started to come back to the world of the living he was grateful that he had drank a pain-reducing potion prior to his foray into Snape's soul. He didn't want to think about what the full scope of the pain he had just experience would have been. Especially since what he had just felt put the cruciatus curse to shame.

Worse then the pain though was the fact that Harry now knew Severus Snape on a more intimate level than he knew anyone else. Harry quickly scribbled a note to both Ron and Hermione using their code to let them know what he had done, and telling them in no uncertain terms not to allow Dumbledore to know what Snape had done to him.

Harry hated Snape now, more than anyone else alive with the possible exception of Voldemort. Unfortunately he also knew that involving the Headmaster would be counterproductive. He knew without a doubt which side of the war the potions master was on. Snape was on Snape's side. Snape wanted power, he wanted recognition, and respect. Harry knew that Snape agreed with the Death Eater's pureblood political stance. He suspected that it was this, which had originally drawn Snape to Voldemort's side. Snape was far from stupid however, and had realized that Voldemort would never share power. Service to Voldemort was slavery, and so Snape had made his decision.

He believed that Dumbledore could defeat Voldemort. He also knew that Dumbledore was more than willing to give recognition to those who aided him. He had dreamed of the honor that would be bestowed upon him when it was revealed that he had, at great peril, provided Dumbledore with the knowledge and opportunity to destroy Voldemort. He still believed that that dream would come true.

The only thing stronger than Snape's desire for power and respect was his hatred of one Harry Potter. This hatred stemmed from a hatred of James Potter, but that wasn't its only source. Snape had at one time felt more than hope. He had felt the complete certainty that his plan was bound to succeed. Everything was laid in motion, and going according to plan. Then the Dark Lord had made an unexpected visit to Godric's Hollow.

Voldemort was defeated, but not dead, and so it was that Dumbledore had kept Snape's service secret. Snape was denied his respect in case Dumbledore need a spy again. Snape had lived on in obscurity, and without the recognition he felt he deserved. He had been forced to surround himself with children, which he forcefully disliked. Every day since the Dark Lords demise Snape had cursed the name of Harry Potter.

Then Harry had come to Hogwarts, and Dumbledore doted on him. Snape wanted nothing more than to see Harry dead, so that Dumbledore could get on with his job. The most humiliating Part of Snape's life was that he had been forced to save Harry's life on more than one occasion in order to stay in Dumbledore's graces.

When the chance to open Harry up to Voldemort had presented itself, Snape was unable to pass up the opportunity. The most sickening thing to Harry was the Absolute knowledge that if Snape ever learned the truth about the prophecy, he would willingly throw away all of his hopes and dreams, as well as the future of the wizarding world, just for the privilege of watching Harry die.

Harry knew that as long as Snape remained unaware of the contents of the prophecy, he would serve the Order diligently. If however he ever learned the truth he would willingly turn traitor once again, even if it cost him his own life.

When the alarm rang, Harry disconsolately made his way down to the walk where he would meet Tonks. Even hunched over as he was, Tonks asked immediately upon seeing him, "Harry, are you taller?"

Harry barked out a bitter laugh, "Yea Tonks, I grew four inches last night."

Tonks grinned at the comment, "Sure ya did Harry, and I was crowned queen of England."

Harry had continued to make drastic improvements in his Stamina while running, and today he put it to good use. As Harry's feet pounded against the pavement he promised vengeance for his godfather. The cadence of his footsteps seemed to call, "blood for blood" over and over again. Harry Ran until he couldn't run any more, than sat down right in the middle of the sidewalk and cried bitter tears of regret.

Harry blamed Snape for Sirius death. In opening Harry' mind to Voldemort, Snape had set in motion the events which ended with Sirius falling through the veil. Harry also blamed Dumbledore for Sirius' death. If the headmaster was less trusting of Snape, or more involved in Harry's training, those same circumstances could have been avoided. His tears however, were because he blamed himself as well. If Harry had shown a little more initiative, and actually looked at a book about Occlumency, he could have prevented the events that caused Sirius' fall through the veil.

Tonks didn't know what to do. Harry had been running with her for a couple of weeks now, and had seemed fine. Now here he was almost two miles from home, in the middle of the sidewalk crying. Hesitantly she approached and put a hand on Harry's shaking shoulder. "Harry. What's wrong?"

Harry didn't even look at Tonks. The strength and firmness of his voice belied the tears that continued to stream down his face, "Never again. Never again will someone I love die because I was not prepared." Slowly Harry rose from the ground. In bewilderment he looked around, and realized he didn't recognize the part of the town that he was in. "Um Tonks, where are we?"

With a perfectly strait face Tonks replied, "England."

Harry glared at Tonks for a full minute before one corner of his mouth started to twitch in the beginnings of a smile. "No, really? I thought I had ran all the way to Scotland this morning."

Tonks shook her head sadly, "Harry, Harry, Harry, Scotland is north. You were running south."

"Don't suppose you remember how to get back to the Dursley's from here."

"Sure I do Harry." Tonks proceeded to pull a shoestring out of her pocked. "Dumbledore made this incase we ever got lost while running, or just needed a quick way back to your home. Just grab on."

Harry took one end of the shoestring, and Tonks recited. "There's no place like home." Harry felt the familiar, dreadful, hook behind the navel sensation. Before he knew it Harry was picking himself up off of the backyard of his aunt and uncle's house. By the time Harry had finished a grueling workout session in the shed, he was beginning to feel a little calmer.

Breakfast was fine, but as soon as Harry opened his books, he started to slip back into a depression. Harry suddenly closed the book, and stood up. He decided that one day without study after two weeks was more than acceptable.

Harry left his relative house without any clear goal or destination. Harry's feet carried him towards the business section of town. As he walked, he realized that though he had grown up just a few blocks away, he had never actually done any real shopping here. Actually he had only been in one or two of the stores and shops that dotted the street.

Harry wondered in and out of stores for a few hours, enjoying the anonymity of the Muggle world. Harry's ill-fitting clothes caused more than one shopkeeper to watch the young man closer than normal. Harry suddenly came up short in his aimless wondering. He was standing in front of a dance studio that had a large sign in the curtained window proclaiming 'Dance lessons'.

Harry remembered Sirius' list, as he stared glumly at the sign in the window. Finally he muttered, "Well, I helped get you killed. I guess you deserve the last laugh." Harry opened the door, and walked into the studio. As soon as Harry stepped inside, he regretted his decision. The room had a hardware floor, the wall opposite Harry was a full mirror, and had a handrail running down it. The group of people on the dance floor were practicing what Harry thought was Ballet.

Before Harry could escape, a tall stern looking woman approached him. "Can I help you young man?"

The whole class stopped, and every eye in the room was suddenly on Harry. For the first time that day, Harry noticed what he was wearing. He had on Baggy, worn clothes that were too short. On his feet was a pair of worn trainers that clearly showed the hole in the toe of the sock on his right foot. To complete the ensemble, Harry's clothes were still damp with sweat. This caused Harry to smell distinctly like a gym bag. 'So much for first impressions' he thought.

Well you're here, might as well go for it, he thought. "I saw the sign out front, the one about dance lessons, and I was wondering if you only teach." Harry struggled momentarily for the word he wanted, "performance dance, or if you teach um, other dance as well."

"You mean do I provide couples dance lessons?" The woman clarified. "Yes I do, both private and group lessons. New lessons start on the first Monday of each month. You are required to find your own partner. I am not a dating service. Tuition is due on the first day of class. Classes meet daily for an hour. Do you have any questions?"

"I know you just said that I had to provide my own partner, but is there any possibility that you know of someone else who needs a partner for the class. I would pay for both lessons."

The dance teacher's features softened a little, "If such a person should present themselves to me I would offer this same advise I will give you. Show up on the first day of classes. You never know what might happen."

Harry was surprised to notice that one of the prettier ballet students had approached while Harry was talking. She smiled warmly at Harry, "I'll dance with him Madame Rispare."

The dance instructor dismissed them with an imperious wave of her hand, "As you wish dear. Make sure that you sign up before the class is full."

"Hi, I'm Charlie." At Harry's confused look the pretty brunette, amended, "Actually I'm Charlene, but everyone calls me Charlie. Lets go sign up. My ballet lesson is almost over anyways." The young woman led Harry into a small office, and grabbed a clipboard off of the wall. She started to write, speaking out loud as she did so. "Charlie Castlebane, and …"

Harry suddenly turned beet red as he realized how rude he was being. "Harry, Harry Potter."

Charlie finished signing up for dance lessons, "Says here, that lessons are from nine to ten in the mornings. And they cost forty pounds. Do you have any questions?"

Harry turned even deeper red, "What should I wear for the dance lessons?"

Charlie shrugged, "Oh whatever." She paused and looked at Harry, "Well maybe not exactly whatever. If you have some nice slacks and a button down shirt that would be best. And Madam Rispare despises trainers for some unknown reason."

Harry smiled shyly, "So, I guess I will see you back here in a couple of weeks?"

"Sure, just don't be late, she hates it when people are late."

Harry left the Dance studio with a feeling of euphoria. He couldn't believe his luck. He didn't know why Charlie had agreed to be his dance partner. He suspected it was out of pity, but he really didn't care. He was just amazed that a girl that didn't know he was famous was being nice to him.

Harry ate lunch at a small out of the way restaurant. While he was eating he looked back over the day he had had so far. It had been an emotional roller coaster, and Harry was a little worried that he had bounced from one extreme to another so quickly. He determined that he was going to have to get a better handle on his emotions before he started back to school. So far things hadn't been that bad this summer, but Harry suspected that was due more to him burying himself in work than anything else.

Harry returned to Privet Drive and his bedroom with a new sense of purpose. He quickly ran through his Occlumency meditation to clear his mind. When he was done with this, he did something that he hadn't done before. He intentionally brought up his memories of Sirius death, and really looked at them. He didn't even attempt to suppress the anger, fear and remorse that the memory brought with it. Instead he explored them.

Hours later Harry joined his family for dinner. He knew that he was a long way from healthy emotionally, but still felt better than he had in a while. He expected that he should probably talk to someone, but knew his pride wouldn't let him. After finally accepting and exploring his emotions regarding Sirius, he felt less likely to break at any minute. Harry reflected that it wasn't so much that he was stronger now, but the pressure inside him was less. Idly he wondered if there was a form of emotional Occlumency he could practice.

At dinner, Harry's uncle took one look at the boy's tear stained face, and couldn't pass up the chance to attack Him. "What's wrong boy? You been crying? Don't you think that you are a little old to be blubbering in your room like some overgrown baby?" Vernon sneered venomously.

Harry calmly looked at Vernon and decided to reply. "Yes I have been crying. No I don't think I am too old to cry. As to what is wrong, or why I am crying, I will save that conversation for someone who actually cares." Harry returned to his dinner, and ignored his stunned family for the rest of the evening.

After dinner, Harry finally felt ready to tackle his schoolbooks. He looked at the letter from Mr. Guttenberg, and decided that his first priority was to finish the D.A. lesson manual he had been working on.

The next four days blurred together, as Harry worked tirelessly on his project. He was surprised to find that he actually enjoyed the work he was doing. He had always been good ad Defense, but the in-depth study he was taking while writing out the lessons was something he had never attempted before. Besides improving his understanding of Defense, Harry found that he also enjoyed writing. Especially when a teacher didn't assign it to him.

Harry Finished the Manuscript late on the twenty-third, and spent most of the twenty fourth rereading it before sending it off with Hedwig. Harry watched Hedwig leave with a hind of sadness. He had spent so many hours working on the project he had just completed that Harry felt a little lost, now that it was done.

That night as Harry set out the potions he would need for the morning, and got ready for his weekly sleep. The last thought before he drifted off, was a slightly childish, 'One week before my birthday.'

Harry woke to the suffering of a focused three-inch growth spurt. After downing his potions he looked at Bob, "Three down, two to go."

Bob nodded absently, "And then it's time to put some meat on your bones. You look like a scarecrow I once saw after all of the stuffing had been removed."

Harry looked at himself in the mirror. Bob was right. Harry could see some nice definition to his muscles, which made him grin, but he could also see every one of his ribs, as well as the sharp protrusions of other various bones. "I guess that is why you are suppose to keep taking the growth potion for a whole month after the majority of the growing taller is accomplished."

Unfortunately, growing eleven inches in three weeks wasn't exactly something you could hide, and Harry had eventually been forced to explain everything to Tonks. Tonks had surprised Harry, and permanently endeared herself to the young man with her statement after Harry's explanation. Harry had finished explaining his situation with a whispered, "Please don't tell anyone, not even Dumbledore or Remus."

Tonks had smiled sadly. "I Expect Dumbledore will find out soon enough, but it won't be from me. As far as Remus goes I think you should tell him yourself, or arrange to meet him. In the end though, it is your secret and I will respect that."

Harry's found his week increasingly filled with a need to send reply owl's to different people or companies that he had contacted over the first three weeks of summer. On the twenty-seventh, he finally received two of the letters he had been awaiting the most eagerly. The first one contained a reply from the secretary of the Board of Governors of Hogwarts responding that his request to present a proposal to the board during their meeting on the thirteenth had been accepted. The second letter was the proofread proposal from Hermione. Across the front piece of parchment was written a quick "call me."

Harry Dialed Hermione's number without even thinking about asking permission from his relatives. His friend greeted him almost instantly, "Harry, It's brilliant. But you must have spent all of your time working on it. You aren't neglecting your um other studies are you?"

Harry laughed, "No Hermione. I am done with the good old 4, 9, 16. I exercise daily and am eating a full three meals a day. Stop worrying about me."

"Ok Harry, the main thing I wanted to talk to you about is… wait a minute, do you have the presentation with you?"

"Um, no I don't let me get it from my room, and I will be right back."

Before Harry could put down the phone Hermione's voice broke in. "Don't you have a cordless phone?"

"What do you mean?"

Hermione huffed in exasperation. "Is there a curly looking cord going from the phone you are holding, to the place that you picked it up form?"

Harry looked blankly at the phone for a minute, "No, there is nothing connecting the phone to anything."

"Then just take the phone with you to your room silly. I swear were you raised by muggles or not. Sometimes you are just as hopeless as Ron."

When Harry was back in his room, he opened the package containing his proposal, and was shocked to see a bunch of brightly colored graphs and Charts staring back at him. "Uh, Hermione. What are all these graphs?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Your proposal looked almost perfect when I read it. I only made a couple minor suggestions to the wording. But sometimes being able to see something is more powerful than just hearing or reading it. So I made those for you, and indicated in the main presentation where each one should be used. It is of course up to you, but I thought this might help."

Harry smiled in delight. "Hermione, you are brilliant." The two of them discussed the proposal, and its likelihood of being accepted for almost an hour before Hermione had said she had too leave. Before she hung up the phone, Hermione had also grudgingly admitted that Dumbledore hadn't been able to find any evidence of tampering with Harry's mail, and that he had actually appeared rather irritated that Hermione had been so concerned about it.

Three days later Harry laid down for his weekly nap. The last thought be fore he drifted off was that when he woke up, he would be sixteen. If he had known everything that being sixteen was really going to mean, he would have dreaded the number instead of looking forward to it.

* * *

I wanted to thank everyone who has taken the time to review my story so far. I appreciate it.

***AlphaPhi was kind enough to inform me that the author's name I was looking for is Horst Pollmann, and that the story is Harry Potter and the flying squad. They were even kind to point out that the Language fairies are first mentioned in chapter 27 of Horst Pollmann's story. While the characterization, and teaching style of my Linguists are different from the Language fairies of Horst Pollmans's in many ways, they were originally inspired by his work. I am simply trying to take a great idea, and alter it to make it my own. After reading back through the chapter in Pollmann's work I find that there are more similarities than I had intended, but I hope I am not wrong in my belief that the differences are sufficient.

While some of my ideas will be similar to other authors, I will attempt to give full credit anytime I am consciously inspired or influenced by someone else's work.


	6. Chapter 6 Summers End

I hate to admit it, but if I owned Harry Potter, you would be buying this, not reading it for free. Also an editor would have corrected some of the mistakes in it.

Oh yeah, just so you know there is some more serious confrontation in this chapter, will finally be violence in the next.

**Summers End**

Harry woke shortly after midnight to the familiar, if less extreme, discomfort of another magical growth spurt. He was almost immediately informed that he had only grown a little over an inch, which meant that he was about done getting taller. He also breathed an inward sigh of relief that the growth potion was actually working properly, and he wouldn't be matching Hagrid's height anytime soon.

Harry reminded himself, with childish glee, that he was now sixteen. Harry's joy however was short lived. He suddenly and unexplainably felt sick. Harry wouldn't have been able to explain the sensation exactly; just that it was similar to feeling sick to his stomach, except for the fact that the sensation wasn't entirely physically. He also heard an unusual, but not unpleasant, ringing in his head. After a few long minutes of this strange sensation, Harry felt a slight twinge in his scar. Tentatively he reached up, and was surprised to find blood dripping down his forehead.

Suddenly Harry understood what was happening. Voldemort was active, and while Harry's Occlumency was blocking the usual pain, and hopefully the visions, it couldn't quite keep Harry unaffected. Harry's curiosity soon got the best of him, and after a few moments he decided to enter his Occlumency trance to see if he could actually see the attack. None of the books had ever mentioned doing this, and Harry was a little nervous about the possible repercussions, but pressed on anyway.

In only a matter of minutes, Harry was floating once again in his mind. As he surveyed his surroundings, he noticed a trail of deep blackness leading off away from the center of his mind. Harry knew instinctually that this was his connection to Voldemort. Harry had never seen it before, and wondered if it grew stronger when active, or if it didn't actually exist all of the time.

Harry followed the trail of blackness towards the outer edges of his mind. What he saw there was both terrifying, and wonderful. Images rushed along the pathway from out in the darkness speeding towards Harry's mind. These images died on the wards that Harry had placed to protect his mind. Most of them burned up in the flame, a few shattered when they met the ice. None of the images made it to the winds. Something else however did.

After the Images had been destroyed, there remained an oily slimy looking black substance that pressed forward through the gale force winds, and unaffected by the banshee wail. This black ooze was Voldemort, or more specifically Voldemort's emotions. It was directed by a dark malevolence, and just the sight of it made Harry recoil in revulsion. While the darkness made it easily past the wards, it was stopped just barely inside Harry's mind.

Harry watched with wonder, as his guardians relentlessly attacked the darkness. Prongs was a whirling mass of flashing antlers, and striking hooves, meeting the darkness head on. Mooney and Padfoot, both danced in and out ripping and tearing at the darkness from the edges. The ferocity of the three spirit guardians was unlike anything Harry had ever witnessed in real life.

Even with their power and strength every once in a while Prongs was forced to retreat a step. When this happened the battle would redouble in furry until the lost ground was regained. No matter how hard the three pressed their attack, they were unable to drive the presence completely from Harry's mind.

Harry made the mistake of looking a little too closely at some of the images before they met his shields. The images were of death, and torture, and pain. When Harry saw them, he fled his meditation in shame and agony.

Harry sat heavily on his bed and wept. Voldemort was no longer silent. He was killing, torturing, and having fun. Worst of all was that he wanted Harry to witness it. Harry knew that it wasn't a coincidence that Voldemort's first major attack since the Ministry of Magic was in commemoration with Harry's birthday.

Harry shook himself from his tears. "I'm sorry about this girl." He told Hedwig as he picked up his owls cage, with her inside. He put the cage in the windowsill, and draped one of his school robes over it. In a moment Harry wished fervently that he had looked at the guard roster before signaling an emergency.

Harry heard slow unhurried steps on the stairs a few moments before Severus Snape stepped through the door to Harry's room. The greasy haired potion's master sneered at Harry, "I fail to see any emergency here Potter. Let me guess you had a bad dream."

Harry's fairly seethed with anger at the sight of Snape. He was barely able to contain his rage enough to speak through tightly clenched jaws. "Voldemort is busy having fun, I thought that the order should be alerted. I don't have any more details than that."

Snape sneered even more viciously, "Really Potter. One would think you had learned your lesson. Just because you are week minded and the Dark Lord can manipulate what you dream, does not make it a cause for alarm for the rest of us. If you had taken the time to learn Occlumency, maybe you wouldn't have so many nightmares. Maybe your fear of the dark wouldn't cause you to have to sleep with your light on."

Harry couldn't believe the audacity of Snape's words. He was so shocked that he lost his grip on his temper, and drew his wand. With his wand pointed directly at Snape Harry spoke. "Get the hell out of my house. If I see you again in this room I will count you as the death eater you really are. I have given you my message, I will not tolerate your presence any longer." Harry was surprised to find that instead of screaming at Snape, his words had come out at a normal volume. He was also surprised at how dangerous he sounded at that minute.

Snape had drawn his own wand, and looked to be on the verge of cursing Harry when he replied, "You forget your place, I am a Hogwarts Professor and you will show me some respect."

Harry's eye's flashed dangerously, "No. You forget your place. We aren't at Hogwarts, and here I will show you the exact amount of respect you deserve. None. Now get out, this conversation is over."

Snape's features darkened, "This is far from over Potter." The potion master thundered before leaving Harry's room.

When Snape left, Harry slumped back onto his bed. It took him almost five minutes before he stopped shacking with anger long enough to remove Hedwig's cage from the window. After a couple of moments of thought, Harry wrote a quick letter to Dumbledore telling him the same thing he had told Snape. He handed the letter to Hedwig, and tried to smile at her. "Take this to Dumbledore as fast as you can, but be careful. Voldemort is out tonight and I don't want you getting hurt. Dumbledore might even be in a battle when you find him so be extra careful." Hedwig hooted solemnly before launching herself out the window.

Now, completely alone in his room, Harry allowed himself to contemplate what Snape had said. Snape had expected him to be having visions tonight, which made Harry think that the potion's master might have been aware of the attacks beforehand. Snape's other words finally made their way to Harry's mind, and with a start he realized that since he seldom slept anymore, his bedroom light was always on. From Snape's comments, at least some of his guards took this to mean that Harry left the light on because he was afraid of the dark. Harry did actually leave the light on even during his weekly naps, but this wasn't from fear of the dark. He did this because of the lack of coordination he had been waking up with. Even being able to see obstacles didn't always prevent him from tripping over them after a condensed growth spurt.

Harry waited until it was a full quarter after five before heading outside. He was grateful to not see Snape anywhere in sight, but was disappointed that Tonks wasn't there to greet him either. Instead an older wizard that he recognized after a few moments as Elphias Doge greeted him.

"Good morning Mr. Doge, is Tonks ok?"

Elphias approached Harry, "She is quite alright Harry, unfortunately She is rather busy right now, all of the Auror's were recalled to the ministry last night."

Harry nodded grimly, "The attacks by Voldemort?" At Elphias' nod of consent Harry continued. "Was anybody I know hurt?"

Elphias shook his head, "Probably not, the attacks were all on muggle families, and none of them were from around here." The elderly wizard opened his mouth as if he was going to say something else then closed it again.

Harry felt disgusted with himself that his first instinct was relief that he didn't know the people that died. He tried to remind himself that just because he didn't know them personally didn't make their deaths any less horrible. He also knew from Elphias' face and body language that there was something the elderly wizard wasn't sure if he should tell Harry. "What is it that you aren't telling me?"

Elphias hesitated before continuing. "I guess you have a right to now. You'll probably find out soon enough anyways. The attacks were all muggle families like I said, there were sixteen of them." Harry gasped in recognition of what that meant. Elphias doggedly continued, "There's more too. Each of the families had one thing in common. They each had son's that had turned one year old this month. Voldemort tortured and killed the parents and siblings, but left the infants alive. He." Suddenly Elphias faltered, and had to take a couple of deep breaths before continuing. "He carved lightning bolts on the foreheads of the little ones, and wrote 'Happy Birthday Harry' in blood on the walls of each family."

Harry suddenly felt physically Ill, and no longer had any desire to exercise this morning. He quietly whispered, "Thank you" To Elphias before returning back to his room. In his room, Harry realized the true gift and curse that his Occlumency was. He was grateful that he hadn't been forced to witness the events of the night. At the same time Harry felt almost cheated that he hadn't suffered with those families.

It wasn't that Harry desired pain. He simply felt that if people had to suffer and die for him, the least he could do was to share their pain. Over the next few hours, multiple Owls arrived at Harry's window, but Harry wasn't in the mood to open presents.

After lunch Harry was shaken out of his lethargy by his aunts scream of panic from downstairs. Harry grabbed his wand and raced down the stairs, ready for battle. He skidded to a halt as he saw his aunt laying unconscious on the floor, and a goblin in a nice muggle suit, and carrying a briefcase, standing over her.

"I am afraid she fainted when she opened the door. I would think she had never seen a goblin before."

Harry bowed to the goblin, "My apologies manager Gragsnar, She has a similar reaction to me at times too. I fear my aunt is quite opposed to anything she, in her narrow mind, considers unusual. Welcome to my house, what can I do for you."

Gragsnar closed the door, and stepped over the prostrate form of Petunia Dursley. "It is not what you can do for me, but what I feel it is my obligation to do for you that has brought me here. Is there someplace we can discuss business?"

Harry hesitated, "My room would probably be the most secure place, although I am afraid that the accommodations leave much to be desired."

The goblin nodded, "That should do nicely, lead on."

Before heading up to his room, Harry decided to take pity of his aunt. He easily picked her up and carried her into the living room where he laid her on the couch.

Once they were in the privacy of Harry's bedroom, Senior Account Manager Gragsnar opened his briefcase and pulled out a number of documents, "Most of our business will have to wait until you can meet with me in the safety of Gringotts. However, upon the unsealing of your full file this morning, I noticed some things that you may want to change almost immediately."

He handed the small stack of Parchment to Harry, "This is a list of the governorships, chairs, and senior stockholder accounts that you have inherited. More specifically this is a list of areas where you have significant influence and authority. When your parents died, representation of all of the Potter seats and accounts was passed to your godfather to hold until you were of age.

Unfortunately the imprisonment of your godfather caused these responsibilities to transfer to his closest living relative, his mother. Since she never bothered to change her will, when she died all of the responsabilites of the black family transfered to Sirus as well. With Sirius still in prisson all of the responsabilites, both Black and Potter, were transfered to his closest living relative still in good standing with his family. They were to hold these responsabilities in stewardship untill you were able to take controll of the estate as Sirius' heir. Your interests in these matters have been represented by the appointment of Narcissa Malfoy for the last ten years. It only took a brief look at the history of her stewardship to realize that the representation provided by Lucius Malfoy at Narcissa's appointment was not in your interest.

In fact his votes in the shareholder's meeting for the Daily prophet, you own a significant portion of that by the way, was to the effect that the paper should publicly ridicule you. I felt that it was important for me to bring this matter to your attention. Seeing as how you are not yet of age in the Wizzarding World, you cannot sit on any of these boards yourself. However being of age in the Goblin community allows you access to your ownership of these responsibilities and provides you with the opportunity to appoint your own representatives. I have included the proper documentation to do this."

Harry stared at Gragsnar in shock for a minute before his brain caught up enough to attempt to be polite to the goblin. "Thank you. Your visit is well above and beyond the level of service I expected from even such a distinguished organization as Gringotts."

Gragsnar looked downright predatory as he responded, "Mr. Potter, as I said before your account is one of the larger ones at Gringotts. Even so you are correct that the bank does not normally make house calls, especially by a Senior Account Manager. It just so happens that in this matter, I feel you and I may be of much the same mind. The Malfoy's have voted against goblin rights frequently in the past, and both the current Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy have insulted me personally on multiple occasions. If you can hurt them politically I would be most delighted. In truth I am myself most grateful for your part in the arrest and imprisonment of Mr. Malfoy."

After the goblin had departed, Harry looked though the paperwork that Gragsnar had left. He now owned fifteen percent of the Daily Prophet. He also had two hereditary chairs on the Wizengamot, one from the Potters, and one from the Blacks. He had a position on a number of boards, and organizations that he had never heard of before, but most surprising to him was that he had one of the thirteen seats on the Hogwarts Board of Governors.

Without warning, Harry grabbed an inkwell from his desk and hurled it across the room. The results were less then spectacular due to the fact that the inkwell was charmed to not spill or brake. The only evidence of the throw was a large dent in the wall. This only served to make Harry more upset. Wasn't it enough that he had to kill Voldemort? Harry had come to an acceptance of the fact that he was rich. He had even reluctantly accepted that there was nothing he could do about being famous.

Harry was, however, unprepared for the apparent power that his wealth granted him. Harry didn't want a seat on the Wizengamot; he didn't want to be bound to financial obligations to companies that he didn't like. Harry would have liked nothing more than to burn the papers and forget about them completely. The only problem was that the one thing less appealing then wielding the political and financial power that he held in his hand, was the thought of a Malfoy wielding that same influence. Worse yet, was the thought of a Malfoy wielding that influence in Harry's name.

The longer Harry stared ad the Papers in front of him, the more irritated he became. He could understand the investments, though he didn't like them. Harry himself had unwittingly become an investor when he had given the Twins his Tri-Wizard winnings. The money had been intended as a gift, but in typical Weasly pride Fred and George had made him an official, though thankfully silent, shareholder in their business. Harry understood why the investments were passed down through inheritance.

What Harry couldn't understand was the governorships and the seats on the Wizengamot. What had he done to deserve these? What had his ancestors done to deserve them? Harry didn't think that hereditary government wasn't the best form of government. What was to prevent idiots running the country? Harry looked at the current laws of the Wizarding world, as well as the Ministry of magic, and answered his own question. Nothing was preventing it.

Harry was also furious about the implications of hereditary government for the Magical community. Who represented the muggle-born witches and Wizards? Harry thought with a bitter laugh that Hermione was far better suited to deal with the tedium that he envisioned the Wizengamot to be, but because she was muggle born she would never have that chance unless she married a Pureblood.

Harry resolutely pushed his anger and outrage to the back of his mind. He decided that he was going to enjoy at least part of his birthday, and so decided to open his presents. He received the normal assortment of candy, as well as some interesting looking books on defense. Remus had actually sent him some books on dark magic itself. Although he had pointed out in a short note that he didn't want Harry practicing the dark arts. Sometimes, according to Mooney, knowing what dark curse or spell your opponent was using was the difference between life and death. Also there were things that were too ugly to be covered in any DADA book that Harry would have to know.

Harry was also surprised to receive rather large packages from Cho Chang, Hanna Abbot, and Ernie McMillan. Evidently they had conspired together and decided to submit their artwork to Harry ten days early as a birthday present. Evidently Parvarti and Lavender had had the same idea, as there was also a packet from them as well.

Harry looked through all of the collected artwork, with admiration. It appeared that the artistic members of the DA were taking their task quite seriously. After a quick examination, Harry packaged Cho's, Ernie's' and Hanna's suggestions together organized by the three categories of letterhead, clasp/pin, and crest. He numbered the entries, then wrote a short note asking Fred and George to Magically duplicate them and send them out to all of the members of the DA to be voted on.

He then sent the package from Lavender and Parvarti to Fred and George as well asking them to be duplicated and sent to Ron and Hermione. Harry included a short note to be sent with Ron's package to get Ginny's input as well. He also as an afterthought requested that Fred and George send all of the originals back to him.

As soon as Hedwig was gone, Harry's mind returned to the problem presented to him by Gragsnar. Harry needed an adult that he could trust in order to help him supplant the Malfoy's control. What was worse was that Harry actually needed two adults he could trust to sit on the Wizengamot. Even if Dumbledore hadn't already been a member of the Wizengamot, Harry wouldn't have included him. He trusted the Headmaster to do what the Headmaster thought was best, but in this matter Harry wanted someone that would take into consideration what Harry would want.

After a great deal of contemplation one name came to Harry's mind, Lupin. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Not only could he trust Lupin, but also it would serve to royally piss off a lot of people to have a werewolf wielding that type of power. The only problem was that Harry didn't know if Lupin could legally act as his representative. Harry knew that the laws prevented a werewolf from holding a seat on the Wizengamot, or from sitting on any board of governance. But Lupin wouldn't technically own the seat; he would be an appointed steward. After racking his brain Harry decided that he needed help from someone with more experience with wizarding laws then he had. Harry's first thought was to ask Hermione. He was just about to call her, when he realized he actually had an even better option. Harry doubted that anyone was as up to date on werewolf regulation, as Lupin himself.

With this thought in mind, Harry quickly penned a note asking to see the last remaining Marauder. He was careful to make sure that Lupin knew it wasn't an emergency, but that it was a time sensitive issue. By the time Harry had finished writing, Hedwig had returned from Diagon Alley. The snowy owl was more than happy to leave on another delivery, and after only a short pause to drink took off in search of Lupin.

With a start, Harry realized that his dance lessons were supposed to start the next day, and he didn't have any decent clothes that fit him. Harry didn't know why but the thought of Charlie seeing him in Dudley's cast-offs again appalled him. Harry wasn't sure if there would be any stores open on Sunday, but decided to give it a try.

Harry met Petunia, who was returning to her home, just as he was preparing to leave. To say that Harry's aunt was a little upset was like saying that a blast ended skrewt was a little ugly. Petunia hissed venomously at Harry, "What was that thing, why was it here, and what if the neighbors saw it."

Harry put did his best to look confused, "What are you talking about? Wait, you don't mean the traveling Bible salesman you screamed at earlier today before fainting do you?"

Petunia arched her eyebrows suspiciously, "That wasn't a Bible salesman, that was some sort of freak from your world."

Harry opened his eyes in an imitation of shock. "Petunia, he wasn't," Harry lowered his voice, "magic." Harry then continued in a normal tone, "I will grant you he was a little odd, after all you don't see many traveling door to door salesmen that are midgets. As for what if the neighbors saw, I am quite sure they did. I think Mrs. Patterson across the way may have even bought something from him. She at least let him into her house, which is more than you did."

Petunia didn't know whether to believe Harry or not. In the end she decided to drop the matter, since the only way she could prove if Harry was telling the truth was to ask the neighbors. If Harry was lying she didn't want to draw attention to herself by asking about a midget salesman that no one else had seen. At the same time if Harry was telling the truth Petunia didn't want the neighbors to know that she had fainted at the sight of a normal, if someone short, person.

Harry had barely left the Dursley's house when he heard Moody's distinctive gruff voice from under an invisibility cloak. "Where do you think you are going Potter?"

"I'm going shopping prof… um Moody."

"Didn't you hear what happened, don't you think that it would be safer to stay inside today?" Moody growled.

Harry quoted a line from Sirius' letter, "If we stop living our lives, then it doesn't matter how the war goes. Voldemort has already won." He then decided to add something just for Mad-Eye, "Constant Vigilance isn't just being ready for an attack, it's not doing what the enemy expects or wants. Voldemort wants me to cower in my room, I am not going to give him the satisfaction."

Harry thought to himself that it would be easy to sit in his room, and feel guilty about all the pain and suffering Voldemort spread. That would be the easy way out. The hard choice would be to continue feeling guilty, and live his life. He realized why Sirius had included most from his list of last requests. They weren't because Sirius wanted them done; they were because Sirius thought that Harry needed to be reminded to live life just a little.

It didn't take Harry long to pick out a couple of nice slacks, and three nice looking shirts. He also purchased a couple of sets of workout clothes. He didn't want to buy too much since he still had a lot of filling out to do, and whatever he bought probably wouldn't fit in a month anyways. The one exception to this was that Harry purchased a bunch of new socks, as well as new running shoes, and dress shoes for his dance lessons. He reasoned that his feet probably weren't going to grow anymore.

When Harry returned to the Dursley's with his purchases in tow, he was surprised to see Remus Lupin waiting for him. Lupin looked rather glum, but smiled at Harry nonetheless. Harry flashed a grin by way of greeting, and signaled for Lupin to follow him into the house.

As soon as they reached the privacy of Harry's room, Lupin Grabbed Harry by the shoulders, "Harry, great Merlins beard, what the hell happened to you?"

Harry was genuinely shocked at Lupin's reaction. "What are you on about?"

"What am I on about? Harry a month ago you were about yea high," Remus signaled with his hand. "Now I think you are actually taller than your father was by a little bit. So what happened?"

Harry's stomach dropped. In his haste to put his newest plan into action he had completely forgotten that Lupin didn't know about the growth potion. Harry couldn't even look at his father's friend as he explained about the diagnostic spell, and the potion he had been taking. Harry knew that it was foolish to be ashamed of his treatment as a child, but knowing that didn't stop the feeling.

Harry was shocked when Lupin suddenly enveloped him in a tight embrace. "You have nothing to be ashamed of Harry. We failed you, not the other way around. The people that should have been looking out for you the most have neglected you. You were my best friend's son. It shouldn't have mattered what Dumbledore said, I should have checked on you. I should have taken care of you." Lupin's voice had softened into a harsh pain-ridden whisper. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Suddenly Harry found himself hugging the werewolf back, "I don't need to forgive you. You haven't done anything wrong."

Reluctantly Harry pulled back from Remus' embrace. "I know it is inevitable, but I wish there were some way to prevent people from finding out why I have changed so much physically over the summer."

Remus looked intently at Harry. "Then don't tell them. Let people think whatever they want, it's really no ones business but your own."

"But what do I say when Dumbledore asks me, and he is bound to ask?" Harry asked.

The growl that escaped Remus' lips was ample answer to what he was feeling, "Jut look him in the eye and tell him that it's none of his damn business." Remus took a deep breath and shook his head. "Actually it's probably best if you don't look him in the eyes. My advice would be pretend like you don't' know what he is talking about. Tell him you are glad you finally experienced a growth spurt."

Laughter spilled out of Harry's mouth before he could suppress it. "I like the first answer better, but you are probably right, caution being the better part of valor and all that. So do you want to hear what I needed to talk to you about?"

Remus Lupin nodded yes, and Harry launched into an explanation of the events of the day, starting with Gragsnar's visit. When Harry had outlined his desires, and his plan he looked expectantly at the former defense professor, "So is that legal or not?"

Lupin sat in Harry's chair with a look of shocked contemplation on his face. Finally, after almost ten minutes of reflection, he slowly started to smile. "Actually Harry, I am certain that it is quite legal, although I am equally certain that it was not intended to be. The people that wrote the werewolf laws probably never dreamed that someone would trust a werewolf enough to represent them in anything even remotely important."

Harry grinned, "So will you do it?"

The smile suddenly disappeared from Remus' face, "Do you understand what you are asking? It won't affect me much, since peoples opinion of a werewolf cant get much lower, you on the other hand will most likely receive a lot of public backlash. Are you sure that you want to go through that?"

"Absolutely. Besides it will certainly piss off the pureblood bigots won't it?"

Remus leaned back in the chair, "Yes it certainly will."

"Remus, can I ask you to keep something secret? By secret I mean don't tell Dumbledore." Harry wasn't sure if it was appropriate to ask Lupin to keep too many secrets from Dumbledore, since he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

The werewolf leaned forward, "You shouldn't have to ask Harry. From now on anything you tell me is between you and me. If I feel that someone else needs to know, I will ask you first."

Harry let out a breath he didn't even realize that he had been holding. He quickly pulled a large bundle out of his trunk and handed it to Remus. "I plan on presenting this to the Hogwarts board of governors on the thirteenth. I would like to wait till then to make the official appointment of stewardship, mostly because I want to see Mrs. Malfoy's face when I throw her off the board and replace her with you.

There are still a couple of items that need added to that before it is ready to present to the board, but I was hoping that you could look over it and tell me if there are any mistakes that you see."

Lupin looked down at the bundle in his hand, "I will have it back to you in a week. Is there anything else you need?"

Harry grinned, "I need to visit Diagon alley to get at least one quality robe that fits before I talk to the board. Also I need to get to Hogsmede on the thirteenth."

Remus thought for a moment, "The twelfth and thirteenth are a weekend. I will talk Dumbledore into letting you spend the weekend with me, away from the Dursley's. Oh, and I do have a suggestion for the second seat on the Wizengamot that you need to fill. All you really need is someone who is seventeen already. Stop looking at people you think of as adults, and look at friends that have graduated in the last couple years. A young perspective might be just what the Wizengamot needs."

Harry couldn't help himself, "Are you sure you don't mean I should look at a pretty young woman who graduated about the same time I started school, and sometimes has pink hair?"

Remus blushed and mumbled something.

Harry laughed, "Sorry, what was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

Remus turned even redder and threw a couple of owl treats from Harry's desk at the young wizard. He laughed as he exclaimed, "It is none of my business who you ask to represent you, and it is none of your business what Tonks and I do on our free time."

Harry was surprised when Dudley knocked on his door that evening with an envelope in hand. "I didn't want my mom and dad to see this, but happy birthday." He mumbled before thrusting the envelope into Harry's hand. Harry was surprised to find a one-month guest pass to the fitness center that Dudley worked out at. Dudley's voice broke into Harry's thoughts. "I thought you might like a change from using the same three machines all the time." Dudley then hastily added, "I don't want you thinking this means anything, it's not like I spent money on that. They were giving those out to members for a promotional." Free or not, Harry was still impressed. He expected that a year ago if someone had paid Dudley to give his cousin a present, Dudley would have refused.

Harry had smiled as warmly as he could, "Thanks Dudley. I appreciate it."

Harry's presents from his best friends didn't arrive until later that evening. Hermione, much to Harry's surprise didn't send him a book, instead she had sent him a handsome wristwatch. The letter she had included with the gift caused Harry to feel guilty, though that obviously wasn't the intent.

Harry

_Happy Birthday! I know that you could use a good watch. It took me a while to find exactly the right one for you. Before you ask, no it isn't magical. I am not sure why, but I just thought that a muggle watch might be best. I was careful to make sure it is a wind-up watch. This way it should be unaffected by the enchantments of Hogwarts. Of course the downside is that you will have to remember to wind it every forty-eight hours or it won't work. I am so excited. I finally finished with you know what. I will have to ask someone to test it as soon as we get back to Hogwarts. Have you noticed any unexpected, but useful, side effects? You aren't going to believe this, but my parents have decided to take me to Spain for the rest of the summer. _

_I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. Of course this means that you won't be able to call me anymore, but we can still owl each other. We leave on the fifth. There are so many things that I can't wait to see there. Spain has an incredible history, both magical and otherwise. For some reason though my mom keeps talking about beaches and Flamenco Dancers, and other things like that. I just wish my parents had told me about the trip earlier, I would have loved to have more time to study the culture and learn a few phrases in Spanish before leaving._

_Call me if you need anything before I leave. Oh and Harry, I know you are staying at the Dursley's for the majority of the summer, but do try to stay out of trouble._

Your friend Hermione

Harry instantly felt a deep sense of guilt. He had been so caught up in his studying and planning, that he had forgotten one of his plans from less then a month ago. He turned quickly addressed Bob and Jezzie, "I paid for three months of language lessons, is it possible to use one of those months for someone else, and to hire another month while I am at it?"

Bob and Jezzie shared a strange look between the two of them before Bob answered. That wouldn't be a problem. There are actually a number of fairly jealous Liaisons out there right now. Tell us what you had in mind."

"I have two friends that I was planning on hiring lessons for, but I sort of got carried away in my own plans and forgot."

Jezzie spoke up, "And now that one of your friends is going to Spain you remembered, and want to start the lessons as quickly as possible for them, right?"

"Yeah, something like that," Harry grinned. "So do you think you could arrange a set of Liaisons for Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasly?"

Bob smiled, "That shouldn't take us more than a couple of minutes to arrange, when do you want the Liaisons to show up?"

Harry thought for a minute, "Probably tomorrow."

Bob chuckled evilly, and twirled his ever-present pitchfork. "Just don't warn them about our friends coming over. We do so love our little games. And since we didn't reveal ourselves to those two earlier, this should be fun. I just hope that hot little redhead didn't spill the beans about us to her oaf of a brother."

Harry laughed, "Those are my friends you are talking about Bob."

Bob bowed deeply, "My apologies, I hope that your friend, the hot little redhead, didn't spill the beans about us to her noble and upstanding oaf of a brother. Is that better?"

Harry Laughed out loud, "That was much better." Harry then opened his Package from Ron. He was far from surprised to find a box bearing the Chudley Cannon's logo underneath the wrapping paper. He was shocked however when he opened the box. Instead of the Cannon's merchandise he was expecting the box contained a long silver handled dagger encased in a black sheath. Harry grabbed the letter from the box before touching the dagger.

_Happy Birthday Mate._

_Bill ran across this in Egypt, and when he told me about it I thought it would be perfect. Ginny and I both pooled our money for it, so you need to thank her too. By the way mate, Ginny isn't exactly happy with you or me right now. There were originally two daggers, a matched set. But Ginny and I could only afford the one. Oh, and it is Charmed silver, so keep it away from Lupin. _

_Now, for some other news. I am so close to being done with well you probably know what I am talking about. There is just one step I can't seem to accomplish. I am not sure I did one of the other steps correctly either. I am actually looking forward to our visit to the Ministry before the start of term. I am almost positive that with another month, I will be able to pass the test. _

_Mom is getting suspicious about my sleeping habits. I had to lay in my bed for ten hours the other night with the light off just to keep her from shoving a sleeping potion down my throat. It wasn't too bad since I made a lot of progress on, well that thing, that night. Now that I am pretty much done though, another night like that would be pure torture._

_Oh, and I want that box back, my Chudley Cannon action figures go in it. I can't wait to talk to you. This worrying about what I write is driving me batty._

_Ron_

There was also a letter from Ginny, which Harry was a little afraid to read now that he knew she wasn't happy with him.

The letter looked innocent enough, so Harry picked it up.

_Happy Birthday Harry_

_I hope you like the gift that Ron and I gave you. Now having said that. How dare you mister potter. I cannot believe that you would share the DD with my brother and not me. Do you think I have all the time in the world? Did it even once occur to you that I have homework, and chores? I have been killing myself this summer trying to learn that thing to help keep you safe. I have spent so much time working on it that I actually fell asleep in the middle of breakfast and woke up with egg on my face, literally. Ron on the other hand has been full of energy and quite cheerful. I can't believe that I loaned the two of you my runes notes, and neither of you thought to even consider telling me about your little secret._

_Furious, but still your friend, Ginny_

By the time Harry was done reading the letter he was kicking himself mentally. He had been so focused on whether or not he should tell Hermione about his newfound lack of sleep, that he had completely neglected Ginny. He knew how much homework she had to do to prepare for her owl year, and obviously she was taking her Occlumency Seriously as well.

He quickly wrote a reply to Both Ron and Ginny, and sent them, along with Ron's Cannon's box back to the burrow. His letter to Ron was lighthearted, and thankful. His letter to Ginny was fore more difficult to write. He spent most of the letter apologizing in different way. He also decided to warn her that her brother would be getting a visit from some Linguistic Liaisons. He fervently hoped that this wouldn't be another cause for anger with Ginny. Finally he had included a small cryptic note that explained he was planning on sending out Liaisons for Christmas to Ginny and a couple other friends. He addressed this note to Ron with the instructions to give it to Ginny only if Harry's letter made her more upset.

Harry then took the time to examine the dagger that his two friends had sent him. At first Harry didn't know why a blade had reminded his friends of him. The answer became apparent when Harry pulled the dagger out of it's sheath. There was a lightning bold Etched into the blade above two Runes. Harry wondered what the Dagger had been doing in Egypt since the Runes were obviously druidic in origin. It only took a couple of moments for Harry to translate the Runes in his mind. They stood fore strength, and protection.

Harry's first dance lesson went far better than he had expected. Madame Rispare reminded him oddly enough of Professor McGonagall. Charlie had greeted him warmly, and had even complemented him on his clothes, telling him that he cleaned up rather well. Harry was far from the most graceful person in the class. He was surprised to find that after a couple of lessons, he was actually starting to enjoy dancing.

Another source of pleasure for Harry was the how quickly the members of the DA responded with their preferences on the artwork that Harry had sent out. He was also secretly pleased that between the letterhead, pin, and crest, each of the three artists had had one of their submissions chosen. Harry was also happy that on the second set of submissions from Lavender and Parvarti, He, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all agreed.

Shortly after tabulating the votes, Harry sent the winning artwork selections to Ron with instructions to hit Diagon alley, and spend some of Harry's money. Everything was going well, except that Voldemort was extremely active again after Harry's birthday. The dark wizard had stayed away from the wizarding world for the most part. But not a night went by that Voldemort didn't murder a muggle.

Ron had gotten the stationary shop to do a rush order of parchment with the new DA letterhead printed on it. The letterhead was fairly simple. It a depiction of the crest of all four Hogwarts houses across the top of the page, with crossed wands in between each house symbol. The two ends of the paper were fairly blank shield with the letter DA stamped into them. The letterhead was bordered by flames, which in true wizarding tradition flickered and moved like real flame. In small letters underneath the Hogwarts houses, but above the flames, were the words. "Protection through instruction and action."

Harry had carefully and painstakingly copied his entire proposal onto the new letterhead. As he was doing this he was extra careful to use his absolute best handwriting. When he was finished, He eagerly awaited Remus Lupin's arrival on Saturday the twelfth.

Hermione and Ron had both expressed similar sentiments after receiving their Linguistic Liaisons. Hermione had Called Harry almost immediately, and greeted him with the words, "Harry Potter, right now I don't know whether I should kiss you, or kill you." Ron hadn't offered to kiss him, much to Harry's relief, but had expressed the same feeling of gratitude. It was quickly obvious that of the three sets of Linguists, Hermione had received the most mischievous, and Ron had received the most serious of the group. Of course, Harry reminded himself after hearing some of the antics of Ron's Linguists, 'The sanest person in the nuthouse is still a loon.'

One of the only low points of the two weeks after Harry's birthday was when he had received a surprise owl from Mr. Guttenberg.

_Dear Mr. Potter_

_Today we experienced an unforeseen event regarding the publication of the manual you submitted. One of my workers in the magical pressroom was so impressed with your book that he, without permission, took one of the proof copy's to show to some friends of his. The upshot of this event is that there is suddenly quite a bit of interest in the publication. AS per your request, your name has not been associated with the printing of the book, but at this time I would like your permission to run a full printing, and offer the book at Flourish and Blots. I will of course leave your name as anonymous._

Sincerely C. Guttenberg

Most people would be happy if a book they wrote for the use of their friends was accepted for wider publication. Harry was not most people however. Harry was afraid that if too many people saw his book, someone would figure out who wrote it. Harry doubted that this would make him any more famous, but he didn't want' people thinking that the few lessons he had written down were the secret to surviving an attack by Voldemort. Harry knew that the secret to surviving Voldemort for most people was, 'Fight you way free, and get the hell out.' No matter how many spells the average person learned, it was Harry that would have to stop that monster. Reluctantly though he had agreed to allow a larger publishing of his book than he had originally intended. Harry was however more than pleased with one of the first run copies that Guttenberg had sent him.

The second even more depressing event that happened during that time was the release of Owl results. More specifically, it was the release of owl results to everyone except Harry. While Hermione was dancing for joy about her near perfect marks, Harry was starring in confusion at a letter from the Department of magical Education.

_Dear Mr. Potter_

_There has been an unexpected problem with some of your owl test results. You will unfortunately have to retake some of your tests. It is with pleasure that I see you are scheduled for an independent study owl on the twenty-ninth of this month. I will schedule the other two owls that you need, to take place the same day._

Sincerely Magical examiner M. Tofty

Harry couldn't imagine what could possibly have happened to cause him to have to retake one, let alone two, of his exams. He reflected to himself, that if anyone were going to have the bad luck of retaking Owls, it would of course be him.

Hermione Had sent Harry a letter from Spain happily listing her Owl results. She had of course passed all of her classes, and managed to get O's in everything except Arithmancy, Astronomy, and Care of Magical Creatures, all of which she received an E in.

Ron's grades were not quite as exemplary, but he was immensely pleased nonetheless. Ron had managed to pass most of his classes. He had failed both History and Divination. He had also received an Acceptable on his Potions, astronomy, and Transfiguration's exam. Ron was quick to point out that Professor McGonagall had informed him that he had only missed an E on transfigurations by the barest of margins, and that she would allow him into her NEWT level class as long as he demonstrated he was willing to put for a newt level effort. Ron had received E's in Herbology and Charms. Surprisingly Ron had gotton O's in both Defense and Care of Magical Creatures.

Harry thought that this was the first time Ron had ever scored better than Hermione on anything. Even when Hermione had spent half of a year petrified she had gotten better grades than Ron. Harry Expected Ron to brag unceasingly about his CoM score but was instead surprised when Ron tried to blow it off as no big deal. He had claimed that having a brother that lived on a Dragon Reserve gave him an unfair advantage.

One surprisingly good thing that had happened though, was Harry's use of Dudley's gift. The Fitness center had all sorts of exercise equipment, and people to help with it. The real find though was that it had a Swimming pool, and offered swimming lessons. Harry thought that learning to swim would be a useful skill, and so had signed up.

Harry had initially felt stupid in his new swimming suit. He literally towered above all of the little children in the beginners swimming class. He also felt out of place due to the fact that most of his body was a brilliant white. Harry's arms and face where a light brown from the little time he had spent outdoors this summer, but the rest of him hadn't seen the sun in years. This was an obvious contrast to the deeply tanned swimming instructor.

His nervousness soon disappeared, and Harry learned that swimming, like flying, came almost instinctively to him. By the time the twelfth came along Harry almost ready to leave the beginners class. By this time Harry had actually grown fond of the little kids in his class. He had never really spent much time around younger children before, and found their honesty and lack of guile to be a refreshing change from his normal life.

Saturday the twelfth dawned bright and clear. Harry and Lupin spend a few easy hours in Diagon alley picking up what Harry would need for his presentation. He was more than a little irritated that he couldn't pick up all of his schoolbooks due to the fact that he hadn't received book lists for his classes.

The most interesting part of Harry's return to Diagon Alley was his visit to the bank. After his surprise visit from Gragsnar he had asked his Linguistic Liaison's to stop their instruction of Greek, and teach him gobbledygook instead, Harry had already mastered French and German. When Harry entered Gragsnar's office he politely greeted him in gobbledygook, "Greetings master of finance and gold, I humbly ask forgiveness for my previous lack of understanding of your great tongue and culture. I am still but a child when it comes to your ways, and pray most mighty manager of accounts that you will forgive me if I say or do anything inappropriate. That is after you have corrected my ignorance." Harry hoped he had gotten the intonation and pronunciation right. The wording and proper ways of addressing goblins was rather subservient for Harry's taste, but he didn't want to appear rude.

Gragsnar's face split widely into the first non-predatory smile Harry had seen on a goblins face. He also replied in Gobbledygook, "You are most gracious oh high and mighty owner of gold and silver. It pleases me greatly that you would trust such a humble institute as this to house and guard your wealth."

Not that I have much choice on where my money lays, Harry thought briefly before continuing. "Oh, most wise and insightful protector of properties, it is I who am humbled that the great tower of strength that is Gringotts, would have a place for my meager possessions."

Gragsnar chuckled and continued in Gobbledegook, "That was most well done young one, I have not been greeted formally for many a long year. Tell me can you continue in this tongue? Or were you only able to memorize the greeting." When Gragsnar had finished speaking he looked at Harry with hungry curiosity.

"I am capable of carrying on conversation in this most noble of languages, though my learning of it is not yet complete. My companion though is unable to understand us, I leave the decision of language in your most capable hands." Harry replied in nearly flawless Gobbledegook.

Gragsnar responded in English, "While I would dearly love to carry out our business in my native tongue, it would be most rude to exclude your guest from our conversation. I look forward to the time when you and I can sit down alone and pour over your accounts in the language that was made for numbers and wealth."

Harry spent the next two hours signing various deeds and contracts, as well as going over in depth the contents of his parents and Sirius' wills. When all of this was accomplished Harry withdrew the transfer of power documents that Gragsnar had left with him on his birthday.

"I hope you will understand why I have put these off as long as I have. Tomorrow is a meeting of the Hogwarts board of Governors, and I plan on being in attendance. I was unable to pass up the opportunity to be present when I throw Mrs. Malfoy, or whomever is representing the Malfoys now that Lucius is in azkaban, off of the board."

Gragsnar rubbed his long fingers under his chin, "Yes, I can understand your desire to be there at the moment of attack. Revenge is best enjoyed when you can see the suffering of your enemies."

"Upon hearing of your disagreements with the Malfoy's I thought that you might gain some pleasure from filing the rest of these changes in stewardship." Harry paused for a moment, "Of course if this would be an inconvenience in any way, I will take care of it."

Gragsnar greedily yanked the proffered papers from Harry's hand, "No! I mean there is no need for you to trouble yourself. I would be most delighted to be the bearer of glad tidings. May I ask who you chose to supplant the Malfoy filth?"

Harry indicated Remus, "I have chosen Remus Lupin."

Gragsnar thought for a moment, "Remus Lupin, where have I heard that name?" Suddenly his eyes lit up, "You're a werewolf! Oh this is more then just a slap in the face, it will be a firm kick in hindquarters to the infamous Malfoy pride. Who did you chose for your second seat on the Wizengamot?"

Harry had actually been torn between three people, Tonks, Arthur Weasly, and his old Quiditch captain Oliver Wood. In the end he had Chosen Tonks for two reasons. The first reason was that he had gotten to know, and respect her during their early morning runs. Secondly, and possibly more importantly, he felt a twisted sense of pleasure in replacing a Malfoy representative, with a disowned member of Narcissa's own family. "Nymphadora Tonks, disowned relative of the family black and junior Auror."

Gragsnar cackled evilly, "I believe I am going to enjoy working with you immensely Mr. Potter, it is not often that I meat a non goblin who is both a pleasant person, and can still twist the knife most effectively."

When Harry and Remus had left the bank Remus turned to Harry, "Remind me to never get on your bad side Harry."

"Mine, what about the goblins. I think he will enjoy his revenge against the Malfoy's even more than I will."

The next Day Harry dressed himself in his new robe, and steeled himself for the day to come. He had rehearsed his speech a dozen times. He had thought of every question he could think of, and had ready replies for most of them. In short he was as ready as he was going to be.

Remus was also dressed in new expensive and stylish robes. He was still having trouble spending the money that Sirius had left him, but had decided that Sirius would support Harry's endeavor wholeheartedly. When it was time Remus grabbed Harry, and Aperated with him to Hogsmede. The apparition of two people wore Remus out, but he thought it was worth it not to have to worry about soot on their clothing.

Harry was glad that his proposal was among the first things on the agenda for the Board. When Harry entered the small meeting room, he noticed that besides the thirteen members of the board of governors, Headmaster Dumbledore, and deputy headmistress McGonagall were present. Harry secretly delighted in the momentary look of surprise that passed over Dumbledore's face. For no particular reason he felt delighted that no one had told Dumbledore that Harry would be here today.

Harry attempted to project as much confidence as he could, although he wasn't feeling entirely confident. His first order of business was to deal with Narcissa Malfoy. He was so intent on his goal that he hardly noticed when an elderly Wizard welcomed him to the board meeting, and completely missed hearing the introduction of the board members. As soon as there was an appropriate moment of silence Harry started.

"Mrs. Malfoy, I am afraid that I am going to have to ask you to leave."

Narcissa Glared at Harry, "I don't think so brat. The Malfoy family controls one of the Governorships for the school. If you have a problem with that then you may leave, but I will be going nowhere."

Internally Harry's emotions were waging a three-sided war between nervousness, disgust at Narcissa, and eagerness at what he hoped was about to happen. Outwardly Harry did his best to appear calm as he pulled a sheet of parchment out of the satchel he had brought with him. Harry Placed the parchment on the table, in front of the head of the board of governors then matched Narcissa glare for glare.

"I am afraid Mrs. Malfoy, that you are incorrect. The Malfoy family does not control one of the governorships here. I control one of the governorships of this school. By a cruel twist of fate you were given stewardship over this seat until while I was a child. Now that I have full access to my properties under goblin law, and in accordance with the goblin treaty of 1729, I dismiss you and your family from the service that you have failed to render. Professor Remus J. Lupin will act as my official steward until such time as I release him, or graduate from Hogwarts."

Narcissa looked as if she had been kicked in the gut. Harry could almost see her mind working as she grasped at anything to help her maintain her power. "You cant do that." She said with a manic gleam in her eye, "He is a werewolf, so he can't sit on the board, and since you don't have a replacement for me, you can't dismiss me."

Harry hoped that his and Lupin's interpretation of the law as correct, "Actually you are wrong again. While it is true that Professor Lupin may not control a seat on this board, there is nothing in the law that prevents him from acting as my licensed and appointed steward."

Suddenly a gray haired wizard started to clap very slowly. "Well done Mr. Potter, Well done indeed." The wizard then looked around at the rest of the governors. "As I am sure you are aware, it is my duty to know the law both backward and forward. I can therefore assure you that Mr. Potter is absolutely correct in the statements he has given." The old man then picked up the parchment that Harry had placed on the table, "Since it appears that the paperwork is properly filled out and notarized, and since it has been presented to this body. Lady Malfoy, your services here are no longer required, and since this is a closed session, I feel we must ask you to leave."

Narcissa gathered her things and stood up in a huff. She had almost made it to the door when she turned around and pointed her finger at Harry. "This isn't over Potter. Not by a long shot."

Harry smiled evilly at her, "You have no idea how right you are. In fact this is just the beginning."

When Narcissa had left, Harry handed out a copy of his proposal to each of the board members, as well as Dumbledore and McGonagall. He started to explain the nature and history of the DA. When he was interrupted by one of the board members.

"Excuse me Mr. Potter. This is all well and good, and I believe we all see the importance for an organization like the DA, but your headmaster can authorize any school club, you do not need the board of Governors permission to start a defense club."

Harry had anticipated this type of a response. In fact he had been counting on it so much that Remus had been asked to make this comment if no one else did. This gave Harry the opening he needed. He had spent hours practicing and perfecting this part of his presentation.

"That would be true if I was talking about a club or a normal student organization. I am not. What I am proposing to you isn't the formation of a simple club. No. I am proposing that today you take a stand. Today you proclaim to the world that Hogwarts takes the protection of its students seriously. The DA of yesterday was a club. The DA of the future is an institution. I am proposing that you permanently alter the existing structure of Hogwarts to include an autonomous student run organization sworn to protect and safeguard the student body of Hogwarts for the next thousand years and beyond.

I am proposing an organization dedicated not only to learning defense, but the practical application of it in the school. No more should students fear to travel alone in the back corridors of the school. Never again will students be physically abused at the hands of a teacher. I am proposing an organization that will be held accountable directly to you, not the teachers. In short I am proposing a radical fundamental change in the power structure of Hogwarts.

Stunned silence followed Harry's statement. Finally one of the governors signaled that Harry should continue with his presentation. Harry spent the next hour explaining his proposal in depth, and going over the supporting evidence he had collected that showed why his organization was necessary. Harry was for the first time beginning to feel confident that his proposal might be accepted. That he might permanently leave his mark on the school he loved.

The board members had been asked if there were any final questions for Harry before he left to give the governors time to debate his proposal. One middle age witch had after a moment stated that she had a question. "Mr. Potter. It appears to me that you are an unusual individual. Your ability to lead and instruct your peers cannot be denied as the proof is there before us in the test scores of your classmates. I fear though that once you are gone there will be no one capable of carrying on the level of instruction that you are proposing, and without that instruction I fear the ability of the organization to perform it's other duties will wane. Do you have a plan to safeguard the DA against your leaving?"

Harry had luckily anticipated this question as well, and removed the early addition of his defense book from the satchel. The red leather of the book almost glowed as the Gold letters gleamed in the light of the Boardroom. The title was "Vital Defense Volume one, Supplemental instruction for fifth year Defense against the dark arts."Harry placed the book on the table so that the governors could see it. "I plan on using this book as the manual for the instruction of student's in their first year of activity in the DA. There will be a different book for the second year, as well as one for the third year. There were a number of students in the original organization under fifth year level. My plan is to have student's selected to participate in the DA one year ahead of the normal fifth year entry level. During these students's seventh year at Hogwarts, they will have had all three years of instruction and can teach the classes themselves. By having more than one such student, the responsibilities of teaching will not be too heavy. Also they will be able to teach to their strengths. Normal sixth and seventh year members of the DA will be responsible for the instruction of the students a year under them."

The witch who had asked the question nodded her head appreciatively. "That might work."

For the first time since Harry had entered the room, Professor Dumbledore spoke, "I am afraid Harry that you will need to find a different text to teach your organization out of. Our new Defense teacher discovered that book a few days ago and has decided to use it as her new fifth year textbook."

Harry was shocked. He thought that he had prepared for every eventuality, but he definitely hadn't prepared for this. The mask of confidence he had worn since entering the meeting suddenly shattered. In his mind he kept repeating oh crap oh crap oh crap, over and over again. "Um. Well you can't. What I mean is." Suddenly Harry just blurted out, "She will just have to find a different book that one is mine."

Everyone in the room was shocked. Finally one of the board members spoke up, "Surely you don't believe that your choice of instructional material should override the Teachers do you?"

"Y'y'yes I do" Harry stuttered, "Because well because," Oh, Hell he thought I am going to have to tell them. "Because I wrote that book specifically for the DA!"

The silence that permeated the room was almost physical. Harry took a second to drop into his Occlumency meditation to clear his mind. When he opened his eye's he once again in control if just barely. McGonagall was the first to speak, "Did you say that you wrote this book Mr. Potter?"

Harry took one last calming breath. "Yes. That book is the compilation of DA lessons from last year. Well sort of. We didn't get to finish them due to the early demise of our group. I just organized all of my teaching notes and made sure to reference all of the information with previously published works. That's why there isn't a book two or three yet. I haven't taught those years, so I haven't written the books yet. I can have Mr. Guttenberg send you a letter proving that I am the author if you want."

One of the governors spoke up, "That won't be necessary. This is the first copy of the first printing of the book. That would only have been sent to the author."

Dumbledore looked sad, "I do believe that my Defense teacher is going to be quite upset with me when I tell her to find a different book."

Dumbledore Followed Harry out of the board room, "Harry, I don't believe it is safe for you to be wondering around alone."

Harry sat down on a bench in the hallway, and pulled out a book on combat spells that he had picked up from Diagon Alley. "Don't worry, I don't plan on wondering around. I will stay here and wait for the board to come to a decision."

"That could take hours, then there is the rest of the meeting to attend to. I am afraid that Remus will be tied up with his new duties well into the night."

"I don't mind waiting."

Dumbledore sighed theatrically, "I see you are not going to make this easy on an old man. Harry, I understand why you took the steps that you did today, but I must impress upon you that there would have been better ways to replace Mrs. Malfoy. While I share your respect for Lupin, I have to say that with the state of the wizarding world appointing him may not have been the best move you could have made. Your plan with the DA is delightfully naïve, it won't pass of course, but I understand why you want it. Really you should have come to me first, and I could have helped you prepare a more realistic and less confrontational schedule for today."

Harry finally turned to face the headmaster, "If this isn't the time to push for the rights of all sentient beings then when is the time? Do we wait till our very laws force every werewolf, giant, centaur, and goblin to join Voldemort? Should we let one injustice pass just because we are fighting against another? I didn't chose Lupin because he is a werewolf, or in spite of it. I chose Lupin because I trust him to represent _my_ interests not somebody else's."

Dumbledore was taken back by Harry's passion. "Harry, I appreciate your zeal, but you will learn with time that we must chose our battles, we cannot stand against all the injustice of the world. It behooves us to learn what we can and can't fight against. In this you should listen to the experience of age."

"Professor, I hope that is one lesson you have to teach me that I never learn."

Dumbledore knew that he wouldn't get any farther on this topic, so he decided to switch gears. "Of course, perhaps you are right. Is there any other projects I can help you with?"

Harry was tempted to refuse out of hand, but remembered that there was something he wanted from the Headmaster. The Idea had come to him from one of the friends he had met at his dance lessons. One girl was visiting England. She had been shocked when Harry mentioned that His school had only had one dance in the last five years. She was from some small town in the middle of the United States. She had told Harry that her school had dances after every football game, although she said American football wasn't the same football as Harry was use to. She also told Harry that her school had special dances for fall and winter homecoming, whatever those were, and a big dance called prom in the spring.

Harry remembered that the Yule ball had actually done quite a bit to bring students from different houses together, and so had started to hatch an idea. Actually Sir I did have an idea that I wanted to present to you. I think it would be fun to have a school dance the Sunday after each of the Quidditch games. I was thinking that each house would be responsible for planning one dance, obviously not one after their teem had played, we don't want it to be a victory party of a um well I don't know what you would call a dance hosted by the losing team. Also If my proposal for the DA is accepted," Harry held up his hand to forestall comment, "I know that is unlikely, but if it is accepted I would like permission to organize a more formal dance for the first Saturday of the term. Sort of like an introduction to the DA for the student body."

The Headmaster smiled, "Well Mr. Potter I must say that sounds rather delightful. I have always said that we do not have enough laughter and joy at school. I will do you one step better than your proposal; I will include a Ball to take place prior to the Christmas holidays that is sponsored by the Hogwarts staff. Even when your overall proposal doesn't pass, I would be delighted to have the DA, as a new study club, host a dance at the start of term."

Suddenly the headmaster paused, and really looked at Harry for the first time that day. "Harry would you mind standing up?"

Harry thought about refusing, but with a shrug stood up. He was surprised to find that he was now considerably taller than Dumbledore.

If Harry was surprised, Dumbledore was shocked. "Harry, what have you been doing to make yourself grow like this?"

Harry looked the Headmaster directly in the eye, and lied to him. "I have no idea what you are talking about sir. I just finally hit a growth spurt this summer."

Harry felt a strangely familiar ringing in his head, and suddenly the headmaster collapsed in a scream of pain. This time Harry recognized the ringing for what it was, his alarm ward from Occlumency. For a moment Harry felt concern for the headmaster, this was quickly replaced by anger as he saw the headmaster struggling to stand up. How dare Dumbledore attempt to invade his mind. The more Harry thought about it, the more unforgivable the attempted invasion of privacy was.

The headmaster looked at Harry with the beginnings of respect, "It would appear that you have made some improvements in your Occlumency. I must say that was effective if a little blunt. However, now that I know the fire is there, I believe I could get past it."

Harry forcefully met the headmaster's eyes, "Go ahead sir. You might find the next levels of defense even more unpleasant."

Dumbledore's eye's widened, "You have more than one ward?"

Harry grinned, "You actually triggered two of them. The first one alerted me to your attack."

"Marvelous Harry, I may take you up on your offer of a second try, but not until I have recovered I don't think."

Harry thought grimly to himself, 'It wasn't an offer, it was a challenge, and a warning.'

Harry was surprised when the door to the boardroom opened, and one of the governors invited Harry to step back inside. Once again Dumbledore followed Harry. Harry stood resolutely in front of the governors. He reckoned that he felt like a convicted prisoner would when they were waiting for their sentencing.

The Head of the board addressed Harry, "We have decided to conditionally accept your proposal." Harry heard the sharp intake of breath from Dumbledore. Harry was almost too ecstatic to hear the conditions. He wanted to run around the room shouting and hugging random people. He was barely able to contain his childlike glee. The Wizard continued. "We have read through all of your proposal. We agree that if this organization works like you anticipate, it will be a benefit to the school. We are accepting it on a probationary period of one year. At the end of the year we will expect a full accounting of your organization. If it appears to be functioning correctly we will then accept it on a probationary term for three years. This will allow us to judge how well your organization can survive after all the core members have left the school. We were impressed in your desire to include all of the houses equally; we will hold you to that. Are these conditions acceptable to you?"

Harry's grin spread from ear to ear. "Absolutely, I wont let you down. You did say you were approving all aspects of the proposal were you not?"

The old man laughed, "Yes, we are accepting all aspects of your proposal."

The next couple of weeks flew by in a flurry of letters. Poor Ron was at Diagon Alley almost everyday taking care of this or that. Hermione had near fainted when she discovered that Harry had written a book. Harry felt that this event went a long ways towards convincing Hermione that books were not infallible. Even with not sleeping, Harry was beginning to feel that he simply didn't have enough time to accomplish everything that he would need to accomplish before the start of the school term.

He had written a letter to his friends warning them about the upcoming dances, and corralling them into helping him with the preparations. Ginny had written Harry and asked if he had asked anyone to the dance yet. Harry felt bad that Ginny might want him to ask her, but politely explained that he was going to be too busy with making sure that everything ran smoothly at the dance that he wasn't going to ask anyone. He had claimed in his letter that he just didn't think it would be fair to whoever went with him.

All of that was true, but Harry's real reason was that even though Sirius had requested he go on dates this year, Harry still wasn't sure if he was ready to tackle girls yet, Death eaters were bad enough.

Before Harry knew it, the last few days of the summer was upon him. He had made arrangements to spend the last few days with the Weasley's. They were going to take him to the ministry of magic to take His Owls, and then he and Ron had planned one last dash to Diagon alley, before getting on the Hogwarts express. Harry could tell by Ron's letters that he had something he dearly wanted to share with Harry, but was afraid to send over the post.

Harry packed all of his belongings into his new trunk. He then looked around the room one last time. He still didn't particularly like the Dursley's, actually quite the opposite, but this was the first summer in a long time that he hadn't felt like a prisoner in his Uncle's house. Still, even though the summer had been pretty good, Harry couldn't' wait to go home. He realized with a start that he considered Hogwarts home, and he even considered the Burrow home, but he had never to his recollection called the house he now stood in home. It had always been the Dursley's, or on the best of days his house, but never his home.

With one last look to make sure he was leaving nothing of value, Harry sealed his trunk, and activated the traveling mode. He was surprised to find that instead of dragging his trunk down the stairs, he could easily lift if onto his shoulder and walk.

Harry was happy to see Remus already waiting for him outside, the two wizards stood looking at each other for a moment, before Remus spoke, "You ready Harry?"

"Remus, I've been ready to get out of here for the last fifteen years."

Remus held out a broken drumstick, "I expect you have Harry, grab on and lets go."

For once Harry didn't mind the hook behind the navel sensation, it was taking him home to the Burrow and friends.

_

* * *

_

Before any of you get too worried, the dagger is just a dagger. The runes strengthen the metal, and protect it from corrosion. It is not a magical Dementor/Voldemort killing blade, although it might come in handy for chopping up potions ingredients.


	7. Chapter 7 Tests Troubles and Trains

I don't own Harry Potter.

Finally I get to write some violence. I love violence, does that make me a bad person?

**Tests Troubles and Trains**

Harry's arrival at the Weasley's home caused quite a stir. Ron had been waiting outside to meet him, and was completely stunned at Harry's appearance. "Blimey mate, I knew that you were taking that potion, but knowing and seeing. Wow, I don't know if I would have recognized you if I hadn't known you were coming."

Harry clapped Ron on the back and smiled brightly at his friend. He took a deep breath, savoring the air, and looked longingly at his surroundings, "Ron, you have no idea how good it is to be here. So do we have a plan of attack, or are we just going to take today as it comes?"

Ron grinned, "The only thing I plan on attacking right now is breakfast. After that we'll see what happens."

Harry waved at Remus, who had other plans for the day, and followed Ron inside. After a summer of studying and planning, it felt good to have even one day without structure. Harry followed Ron into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was busy preparing breakfast. When she heard Ron and Harry enter, she called out from the stove, "Is Harry here yet dear?"

Ron grinned and signaled for Harry to remain silent before answering, "Well, why don't you turn around and see for yourself mom?"

"Well really Ronald, a simple yes or no would have." Mrs. Weasley turned around as she was talking. When she saw Harry, she stopped mid sentence. Tentatively she asked, "Harry, what happened to you?"

Harry grinned, "Why Mrs. Weasley. I just took your advice for once and ate properly for an entire summer. You are right, it is amazing what some good food can do."

Molly knew that Harry's answer wasn't truthful, but instead of calling him on it she simply wrapped her arms around him in a motherly embrace. Harry hesitantly returned the hug. After a couple of moments Harry realized that Molly was crying.

"Mrs. Weasley, what's wrong? Please don't cry." Harry was in a near panic. He still hadn't figured out he was suppose to deal with a girl his own age when she cried, seeing Mrs. Weasley in tears was ten times more frightening.

Molly sniffed, "Nothing dear. It's just that you aren't a little boy anymore, and you never even had a proper childhood."

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered. He didn't have any idea what he was sorry for, but he knew that he really was sorry. He was sorry that Mrs. Weasley was sad, and at that moment he would have willingly returned to the starved little boy she had expected to see.

Soon Molly released the young wizard, and turned back to her stove to prevent the bacon from burning. Harry offered to set the table. While Harry was working in the dining room, Ron stayed in the kitchen with his mother. Whether Ron did this out of a desire to make sure she was all right, or simply to get out of work was anybody's guess. Harry didn't pay much attention to the footsteps coming down the stairs as he laid out the silverware trying desperately to remember which side the bloody knife went on.

Harry's back was to the stairs, and so he was taken completely by surprise when he heard Author Weasley speak, "One wrong move and I swear I will kill you." Until that very second Harry wouldn't have even been able to imagine Arthur's voice being so cold and detached. "Who are you, and what are you doing in my house? With your hands where I can see them, turn around very slowly."

Harry slowly lifted his hands, and twisted his wrist to prep the wrist holster that his wand was in. Harry didn't know what had come over Arthur, but suspected the Imperious Curse. Harry's mind was racing as he slowly turned around. He knew he couldn't hurt Arthur, but if Arthur wasn't acting of his own free will Harry had to defend the rest of the Weasley's.

Harry slowly completed his turn, and found himself staring directly into Arthur Weasley's wand. After only a couple of seconds the fire died out of Arthur's eyes, and his wand started to waver. Suddenly the patriarch of the Weasley clan turned bright red and lowered his wand hand completely. "Harry, I am so sorry. It's just you look so different, especially from behind. I thought a death eater had broken into the house."

Slowly Harry started to chuckle. With obvious mirth he asked, "So you thought a Death Eater had broken in and decided to set your table?"

Arthur somehow defied the laws of nature, and turned even more crimson. "Well you see Harry, I didn't really think… Um can we just not tell Molly about this?"

"Sure, we will keep this just between us. But if your fear of Death Eaters doing housework continues I would suggest you talk to someone."

Arthur started to laugh now as well, "I guess it was rather rash of me to respond like I did. It's just with everything that has been happening, I am a little on edge."

"I thought that Voldemort hadn't attacked made any open attacks on the Wizarding world yet."

Arthur shook his head sadly, "Haven't you been reading the Daily Prophet?"

Harry hung his head sheepishly. "Actually I haven't been receiving to the paper this summer. Why? What's been going on?"

"Panic Harry, the whole wizarding world is in panic. It is true that the killings have all been muggles so far. But there have been scattered attacks on Wizard families as well. Voldemort has even issued a warning to the world. Last week he sent a letter to the prophet claiming that when he was satisfied that his death eaters had practiced their arts long enough on the muggles, he would unleash them on our world."

"What is the ministry doing?"

Arthur sadly shook his head, "That's the problem, they aren't doing anything. They have sent out a couple of useless pamphlets, and Fudge has put up large posters all over the wizarding world reminding us to have confidence in the ministry. Every few day's over the summer Fudge had released some sort of message to the prophet claiming that matters are well in hand. Honestly I don't think that Fudge has spent even half as much time thinking about the problem as he has trying to convince the world that he is dealing with it. The Auror's are trying, but Fudge is so paranoid right now that he has a triple Auror guard on the ministry at all times. The biggest problem with that is that it doesn't leave hardly any Auror's for any other duty."

Harry Paled at Arthur's words. He couldn't help but feel that he should be doing something to help the wizarding world, but he didn't know what. The tension in the room was broken however when Molly bustled in from the kitchen with two great platters loaded with food. Ron followed his mother, carrying a pitcher of iced pumpkin juice, and basket of muffins.

Suddenly Harry was starving. While it was true that he had been eating well at the Dursley's, Petunia wasn't even close to being in the same league as Mrs. Weasley when it came to culinary expertise. Harry looked around the room before he tucked in to the delicious breakfast. Suddenly he realized that someone was missing, "Excuse me, where's Ginny?"

Ron laughed, "Probably trying to figure out what to wear to breakfast. You know how girls are mate, need a different outfit for everything, and can never find the one they want."

Harry raised one eyebrow, "Oh, and when did you become an expert on matters of the female mind?"

Ron's mouth did a fish impression as he tried to think of an appropriate response. Finally he laughed, "Ok Harry, you have me there, but I haven't seen you giving Casanova a run for his money either. Ginny probably just lost track of time. She has been working really hard to prepare for the upcoming year."

Molly smiled happily, "I am just so glad that she is taking her owls so seriously this year, just think of what you could have accomplished if you had started studying a little earlier Ron." Mrs. Weasley hastily added, "Not that there is anything wrong with your scores. I was quite happy with them, unlike when the twins took their tests." After a couple of moments Molly continued, "Ron dear, why don't you run upstairs and tell Ginny that breakfast is ready"

Ron was reluctantly about to get up, when they heard Ginny's footsteps on the stairs. Gratefully, Ron slid back into his chair and dug into the mountain of food he had piled on his plate. Ginny sat down next to her mother, and cast a quick smile at Harry. Molly tried to keep the conversation at the table pleasant by asking, "Harry dear, Ron never told me how you did on your Owls?"

Ron looked at Harry and shrugged apologetically. Harry disconsolately stirred his breakfast around his plate for a few moments before responding, "I didn't get them."

Molly looked shocked, "What was that dear? I don't think I heard you correctly. It sounded like you said you didn't get your OWL results."

"I didn't. The ministry said that there was some sort of problem with my test results, and that I needed to retake some of my OWL's. I was going to take them tomorrow, when Ron and I go to the Ministry."

Molly looked confused, "I have never heard of such a thing." She suddenly looked over at Ron, who turned an interesting shade of red, "Why would you and Ron be going to the ministry tomorrow?"

Harry spit the bite of breakfast he had been chewing back onto his plate in shock. "What! Ron, you didn't tell your mom?"

Ron mumbled something incoherent under his breath. At the puzzled looks of the table he repeated a little more loudly, "I sort of forgot to tell Mom, or Dad."

Harry was looking at Ron like he had grown a second, or possibly even third, head. "How on earth do you forget something like that? I mean you have been preparing for it all summer."

Ron looked like he wanted nothing better than for the floor to open up and swallow him. Harry and Ron's conversation was interrupted, by Mrs. Weasley's stern voice. "Will somebody please tell me exactly what it is that you forgot to tell me?"

When it became apparent that Ron was still too embarrassed to say anything, Harry spoke up for the both of them. "Ron and I have been doing an independent study of Ancient Runes, and are scheduled to take the OWL exam for it tomorrow morning."

Mrs. Weasley looked intently at Ron, "Ronald Billius Weasley, is this true?" Ron nodded his head in the affirmative, and Mrs. Weasley continued. "And do you honestly believe that you have studied enough to pass this test?"

Ron's head suddenly snapped up, and he looked directly into his mother's eyes. "I know I will pass the test."

Molly Weasley moved so fast that Harry thought she might have apparated. In an instant she had wrapped Ron in a huge hug. "Oh Ron, I am so proud of you. What on earth would posses you to undertake an independent study and not tell me? I would have let you off of your chores."

Harry grinned when he heard Ginny harrumph, and mutter, "It's not like he didn't have enough bloody time anyways."

After the rather exciting breakfast the three students went outside to fly and toss the Quaffle back and forth a bit. It didn't take Harry long to start to get irritated at his friends. Ron was acting like he did when he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to go about it. Ginny was just plain acting strange around him. One minute she would be smiling and laughing while passing the Quaffle back and forth as the two tried to score against Ron. Then the next Minute she would stiffen up, and refuse to even look at him.

After this behavior had gone on for a while Harry had finally had enough. He landed his broom and waited for Ron and Ginny to join him. Ginny was once again not looking at Harry, so Harry reached out and gently grabbed her shoulder. "Ginny, are you mad at me?" Ginny resolutely shook her head no, but still refused to meet his eyes.

Harry was surprised, but grateful that Ron had gone on ahead to allow Ginny and Harry to have this talk. "Ginny, are we still friends?"

This shocked Ginny enough that she finally looked at Harry, "Of course we are friends."

"Then why do you keep treating me like a leper?" Harry asked, while trying his best to keep the irritation out of his voice.

Suddenly Ginny's voice rose a little louder, "Well how am I suppose to treat you? I mean it was hard enough when you were just a cute boy, but now you show up looking like this. So you tell me. How am I supposed to treat you?"

Harry wanted to throw his hands up in exasperation. "Your suppose to kick me in the shin when I say something stupid, or punch my shoulder when I am acting like a git. Yell at me. Tell me jokes. Just treat me like you treat your brothers. Or better yet, treat me like one of your best friends from school. Look at me, OK so I grew a bit over the summer. I am still Harry. Just treat me the way you did last year."

Ginny looked at Harry then smiled, "Ok, you are right. I was just being silly about it." Suddenly Ginny hauled off and kicked Harry in the shin.

Harry yelped, and grabbed his injured shin, "What in the bloody hell was that for?"

Ginny smiled sweetly at him, "You said to kick you if you said something stupid. I think that 'grew a bit over the summer' is a big enough understatement to be considered stupid.

Harry thought to himself, 'Ok, one down, one to go." After a few minutes of talking to Ginny Harry set off to find Ron. Harry found Ron in his room animatedly talking to himself. After a brief moment of worry, Harry realized that Ron wasn't talking to himself. He was actually talking to his L.L's

Harry interrupted Ron's conversation by asking, "Would all of the Linguistic Liaisons in the room please make yourself visible to both Ron and me?"

With a pop the little devil and angel on Ron's shoulders became visible. Harry could tell by the way that Ron was staring intently at him that Harry's L.L's were visible to Ron too. The two sets of language teachers looked quite similar, but with noticeable differences. The devil on Ron's shoulder was a little shorter than Bob, and more muscular. The angel on Ron's Shoulder Had midnight black hair instead of golden blond, but other than that could have easily been mistaken for Jezzie's twin. The two sets were also dressed identically. They even had matching harps and pitchforks.

Harry finally asked a question he had been wondering about since he had first met Bob. "Do you actually need the pitchfork for something?"

The two little red creatures looked at each other for a minute before they started laughing, "No, not really. It just completes the look so well that most of us carry them." Bob finally answered.

Jezzie spoke up, "And we don't really need the harps either, in fact I never learned how to play the bloody thing. Oh, and this is just for decoration too." Then to Harry's shock Jezzie reached up and removed her halo and tossed it onto Bob's pitchfork.

Ron and Harry shared a look of shock before they both broke out laughing. Finally Harry said, "Ok, now that that is out of the way. What is eating at you Ron?"

Ron looked at his shoulders, and then at Harry, "Do you think we could talk in private, just you and me?"

Harry had gotten so use to Bob and Jezzie, that he hadn't even thought about Ron not wanting them to overhear the conversation. Before he could respond the four little creatures flew over to the bedroom door. Jezzie called out before they left the room. "Just open the door when you are ready for us to come back in. I was hoping for some alone time too. I haven't seen my mom and dad in ages." Harry had to blink a couple of time to wrap his head around that concept. He knew that Bob and Jezzie were married, but somehow he had envisioned Jezzie with two angel parents, and bob with two devil parents.

As soon as Ron and Harry were alone, Harry asked Ron, "OK what is it."

Ron's expression suddenly changed, almost as if he were shedding a mask. Suddenly he looked terrified. "There are someone else's memories in my head Harry."

Harry's eyes about bugged out of his head, "What did you say Ron?"

I said that there are someone else's memories in my head. I was doing the Occlumency, and my memories all looked like chess pieces. But there were a bunch of Round shields floating around too."

"How can you be sure that they are someone else's memories?"

Ron almost shouted, "Because I bloody well didn't fight alongside Bonnie Prince Charlie at Culloden." He took a breath to regain control, "Hell Harry, I shouldn't even know where the battle of Culloden was fought. That's something that Hermione would know, not me."

It took Harry a couple of moments to decide what to say. "Ok, so you have someone else's memories, do have any idea where you got them?"

"Probably from that bloody brain that attacked me in the Department of Mysteries." Ron glumly responded.

"Have you had any other strange related problems, like hearing voices, or doing things you don't remember doing?"

Ron shook his head violently, "No nothing like that, I just have some of his stupid memories."

"Ron, I really don't think you need to worry about it too much, everything will be fine." Harry soothingly stated.

"Fine! How do you define fine? I have someone else's Memories, that isn't fine, that is downright disturbingly weird. How would you feel if you had someone else's memories in your head?" Ron was nearly spitting with anger.

Harry found himself on his feet, "How would I feel? Oh I don't know. It's not like I have a window to a snapshot of Snape's soul in my head. Or maybe all the murders and torture that I remember committing, that were actually Voldemort? Or what about a bloody direct connection to the most twisted evil mind of our time. At least you have the luxury of knowing that those memories aren't yours. Everything I have seen through my link with Voldemort was recorded by my mind, and looks exactly like the rest of my memories."

Harry and Ron stared at each other for a quite a few minutes before Ron finally spoke, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize… Your right, its just, Well." Ron shrugged slightly

"Yeah, its just… I know what you mean. Just because it is fine, doesn't really make it fine." Suddenly Harry brightened, "Of course you could put all of those other memories in a box and seal them, then you would forget all of them, unless you got curious during your Occlumency and opened the box. After Voldemort is gone, I may lock some of his memories away. Until then they motivate me to fight."

Ron looked a little better after getting the discussion out in the air, "I thought about that, but somehow it seemed like it would be a disservice." Ron abruptly changed the subject, "So what shape did your memories come in?"

Harry grinned, "Quidditch balls. What do you think Hermione's will be?"

Ron and Harry looked at each other for barely a second before the both blurted out, "Books!"

The rest of the day passed in the controlled chaos that was the Weasley household. Although Harry was a little saddened that the chaos wasn't quite so pronounced without the twins around. After Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went to bed, Ginny, who was now taking the Dreamless Draught, joined Ron and Harry, and the three talked and laughed until the sun was starting to lighten the horizon.

After a quick breakfast Ron and Harry floo'd to the Ministry of Magic, with Arthur. Harry drew quite a commotion as he went through the normal security checks. Arthur escorted the two boys to the Magical testing office before heading off to work. Harry and Ron signed in, and waited to begin their test. After only a short wait, an elderly Wizard entered had asked Harry to follow him.

Harry followed the old wizard into what looked like a small dressing room. The old wizard removed a plain white robe from a rack of white robes of different sizes, and handed it too Harry with the instruction to change into it. Harry had taken off his robe, and went to slip the white robe over his street clothes. The old wizard had stopped him and instructed him to remove his street clothing as well.

Harry Was feeling extremely uncomfortable standing in just his underclothing in front of the elderly wizard, and was relived when the wizard had indicated that it was now fine to put the white robe on. When he was dressed in the white robe he went to pick up the satchel containing his inkwell, and quills. The elderly wizard stopped Harry, and instructed him to leave his personal belongings in the dressing room.

With a shrug, Harry followed the elderly wizard out into a small testing room. He was surprised to see Ron sitting at a desk, still wearing the clothes he had worn to the ministry. The Testing instructor had told Ron and Harry to remove their wands and holsters and place them on the desks. The two boys did so, and the testing instructor then cast anti-cheating spells on the boys. He seemed to take an extra long time casting the spells on Harry.

Harry was more than happy with the test itself, although he still felt odd about the preparations he had been asked to go through. Harry had no problem answering most of the questions on the Ancient Runes exam. Only struggling slightly at the end of the exam. He had expected this though since with everything else he had been doing the summer he hadn't really studied the last couple chapters of the fifth year Runes text.

He knew that Ron hadn't quite gotten as far as he had, but they were both confident that they had learned enough of the material to pass the exam. When the test was over, Ron was asked to leave. Harry was told to stay where he was, and prepare for his next test. Most of Harry's nervousness was swept away when the examiner placed a defense against the dark arts test in front of Harry. Harry knew he had done well when he took the test at the end of the term. After what amounted to an intense review while he was writing the DA book, Harry could have probably taken the test in his sleep and passed. It took him almost no time to complete the written portion of the exam.

He was then asked to pick up his wand and follow the examiner to a different room. Harry was asked to perform various spells and curses, including the Patronus Charm. Eventually the Examiner was satisfied. Harry actually enjoyed the test quite a bit since it had been two months since he had been allowed to cast a spell. After the Practical Defense test Harry was once again returned to the room with the desks in it.

Harry sat down and waited for the next test to be administered. When the examiner placed the Potion's exam in front of Harry the young man groaned inwardly. He hadn't done any 'study' of Potions since he had taken this exam two months ago. It didn't take Harry long to realize that he was worried for nothing. With his improved recall, and the number of potions he had brewed over the summer Harry actually felt better about this test than when he originally took it. Harry was pretty sure he made a few small errors while brewing one of the potions in the practical portion of the test, but still came away feeling pretty good.

One of the nice things about taking OWL exam's during the summer break was that you got your results back the same day. Harry had changed clothes and found Ron waiting for him in the testing office. Ron was bouncing up and down with unrestrained glee. "Get over here Harry, you have got to see this." Ron whispered forcefully.

Harry quickly approached his friend. "Did you get your result already?"

"What? No, this is way bigger than tests. I was just screwing around after I finished my Runes and you were still in there, and I think I stumbled onto something huge."

Ron's enthusiasm was almost contagious. Harry grinned, "Ok, what is it."

Ron shook his head, "No. I want to see if you notice it too, or if I am just imagining things." Ron grabbed a blank piece of parchment, and held it up on the wall. "Ok Harry, I want you to write the Rune for Levitate on this." Harry did as he was asked, when he was done Ron looked expectantly at him. "Well, did you see it?"

Harry shrugged, "Ron, if you told me what I am looking for, I might be more likely to see it."

Ron shook his head, "No. Just draw the rune again, but this time bigger."

Once again Harry complied. He was about to tell Ron that he still didn't see anything unusual, when a thought suddenly struck him. Harry looked at Ron in wonder, and then shook his head. Carefully he redrew the Rune. Then redrew just the last part of the rune a couple of different time.

Ron actually whooped for joy. "You see it don't you?"

Harry muttered, "That has to be a coincidence." As his hand once again traveled through the familiar swish and flick that made up the tail end of the druidic rune for levitate.

Ron looked at him, "Maybe it is. But have you ever wondered why some spells have specific wand movements with them, and some spells you basically just point your wand at the target and blast?"

"Actually I never really thought about it," Harry said with a shrug.

"Ok, neither did I until today, but what if the spells with the specific wand movements come from old Rune magic." Ron was as excited as Harry had ever seen him over anything except Quidditch.

"You might be on to something. In fact that might be worth looking into in more depth." Harry was trying to figure out if this could help them in any way. When he noticed that all of the excitement had drained from Ron's face. "What's wrong Ron?"

Ron tried to force a smile, "I just suggested the mother of all research projects didn't I?"

Harry laughed, "But you were so excited about it just a minute ago, surely you aren't scared of some research."

Ron shook his head vigorously. "Yes I am. I was excited that I might have discovered something that definitely wasn't in our books. But the thought of spending countless hours in the library leafing through old tomes doesn't quite do it for me, if you know what I mean."

Any more discussion was halted as a witch came to collect Ron, and the same old wizard as before asked Harry to follow him. Harry followed the elderly wizard into a room that had about a dozen Witches and Wizards in it. One of the Wizards addressed Harry. "Mr. Potter, I was confidant that would do well, and you have not let me down. You may be wondering why you had to retake two of your OWL exams?"

"Yes, Sir." Harry nodded affirmatively.

The wizard that had been speaking looked extremely sad for a moment before continuing, "I am afraid that there were some Petitions filed against you claiming that you had cheated on your OWL exams."

Harry took an involuntary step forward, "What! Who?"

"Since you have been cleared of any wrongdoing it is your right to know. Two of your professors from last year filed the complaints. The first was a Madam Delores Umbridge. If her complaint had been the only one the committee may have overlooked it, as she verbally claimed that everyone who scored an E or higher on their OWL's had cheated. You were however the only student she filed official complaint against. The other Professor was Master Severus Snape. We took every conceivable precaution today to ensure that there was no way for you to cheat, and the members of the examination board are satisfied that you are innocent of both complaints."

The Old man smiled at Harry, "Actually you scored better on both tests today than you did at the end of term, and with the impressive Defense score you had already posted that is indeed saying something. Also we expected you to score a little lower since you didn't have proper warning to study."

Harry's blood was boiling with rage, if he had been able to get his hands on Snape right then he would have willingly strangled the Potions Master. The Elderly Wizard that had acted as Harry's guide through most of the day approached him with two different pieces of Parchment. "The first one is your original OWL scores. The second page contains the scores for the tests you took today. Today's scores override your previous scores."

Harry glanced down at the Owl score sheet in front of him. Harry's anger suddenly expanded to new heights. An E, he had gotten an E in potions. He hadn't even made it into Snape's NEWT level class, and the bastard had accused him of cheating. Slowly Harry took note of the rest of his grades. Divination was a D, and History of magic was, 'wow' thought Harry, 'they really do give a grade labeled Troll. He had thankfully passed everything else. He had an A's In Care of magical creatures, and astronomy, E's in Herbology, and Transfiguration, and of course Potions. He had received O's in Defense and too his surprise, Charms.

Harry looked at the second parchment that had been handed to him. To his surprise he had received an O in all of the tests that had been given to him today. Suddenly Harry started to smile. If anything could piss off Snape, Harry getting an O in potions was sure to do it, not that Harry would ever set foot in that bastard's class again.

Harry finally came to his senses enough to realize that he was still standing in front of the entire examination board. "Ugh, is there something else you need?"

The chief examiner responded, "No Harry, although we were wondering if you had some insight as to why those two teachers would have made these accusations against you."

Harry couldn't stop himself from blurting out. "Because they are pathetic little flobberworms that wouldn't know how to teach a class if their lives depended on it, and they knew that I couldn't have learned my skill from them."

Most of the examiners smiled at each other. The chief examiner asked, "So, is that your final answer?"

Harry took a couple of breaths, "Yes it is, although if you gave me some time I would find a better way to say it." Harry suddenly grinned, "After all, I hate insulting Floberworms."

Ron had gotten an E on his Runes test. When Harry related his conversation with the examiners, Ron looked like he was ready to storm off in search of Umbridge on the spot to hang her from the rafters. Harry was secretly pleased that his friend cared enough for him to share his anger and indignation. Ron had also looked extremely sad, until Harry had pointed out that there was absolutely no way he was taking NEWT potions even though he had qualified for them. Harry could tell that Ron was relieved, even though he tried to hide it. It was shortly after One O'clock when the two of them found Arthur's office and said goodbye before flooing back to the Burrow.

The next day was a mad dash to Diagon alley. Harry had gotten a rushed list of the books he would need for class. Molly wasn't happy about Harry being in Diagon alley without a proper disguise, but decided that since Dumbledore hadn't said anything it must be all right. Of course, if Harry forgot to mention to Mrs. Weasley, that he had also forgotten to tell Dumbledore about his trip to the Alley, whose fault was that?

Harry couldn't help but laugh when he saw the Alley. He knew that Ron's dad had said Fudge had been putting up signs, but this was ridiculous. Everywhere you looked there were signs saying "There is no cause for concern, have confidence in your Minister." The signs were each supported by far more thin wooden signposts than was necessary. In fact the signposts were so numerous that when Harry saw a little boy standing behind one of the signs he was reminded of prison bars.

As if the signs weren't ridiculous enough, they had been placed seemingly at random. Some were pressed up against walls, some were sticking out into the street at strange angles. And a couple of them were even partially blocking the doors to shops. One sign was even hanging upside down from the eaves, but since this one was on the twins joke shop Harry more than half expected that it had been moved.

In the End Mrs. Weasley and Ginny decided to accompany Ron and Harry, since Ginny needed new dress Robes for the two more formal dances that would take place during the year. Harry was torn between being glad that someone would be on hand to help him pick out his clothing, and frustration that Mrs. Weasley still thought he needed a babysitter.

Harry's first stop was Flourish and Blot's where he picked up not only his schoolbooks, but also a preordered Box full of books. This box, a mystery to Ron and his family, contained numerous copies of Harry's book for the DA. Harry was embarrassed to see that there was a display stand dedicated to his book, and that it seemed to be selling fairly well. In fact Harry had trouble talking Mrs. Weasley out of buying a copy for Ron and Ginny.

The next stop was Madam Malkin's, where after a great deal of time, and discomfort on Harry's part, Harry was outfitted with a full new wizarding wardrobe. He also picked up a large mysterious package from Madam Malkin. This time though, Ron and Ginny knew what the contents of this package were, since Ron had ordered it on behalf of Harry. Mrs. Weasley was however in the dark, and was having trouble containing her curiosity. Especially when Madam Malkin had stated, "I was able to get my contractor to come in and perform all of the charms on those that you requested." Harry had thanked the woman and paid her.

Harry and Ron, Much to the befuddlement of Mrs. Weasley, next stopped into the magical Jewelry shop, and returned in short order with two more mysterious boxes. Ginny and Molly were planning on going to a couple of less expensive stores to see if they couldn't find an appropriate set of Dress Robes for Ginny. Harry and Ron, after considerable effort, were able to split off on their own way for a short while. They quickly dropped their packages at Weasley' Wizard Wheezes. Fred and George Pulled Harry aside and told him that they had completed some of the tasks that he had given them earlier in the summer. They didn't feel safe discussing them in Diagon Alley, and so would be returning to the Burrow the following morning to talk with him.

Being in Diagon Alley again reminded Harry that he had only paid for a couple more days of time with Bob and Jezzie. He had grown so use to the company of the little angel and devil that he actually felt quite sad about seeing them leave. It was to drive this melancholy away that Ron and Harry Made their first big mistake of the day.

They decided to visit Quality Quidditch Supplies. The decision seamed safe enough, but in retrospect the two wished they had just stayed in the joke shop. Harry and Ron were standing outside the Quidditch shop, ogling the new equipment, when Harry felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

Harry turned around to face a thin man with wire frame spectacles. The man was carrying a large notepad, and a muggle pen. "Mr. Potter. My name is Mr. Bartleby, I am a freelance reporter, and was wondering if I could get your response to the proposed bill that has just come out of the Magical Beast office in the Ministry of Magic?"

Harry looked confused, "What bill are you talking about?"

Bartleby had the grace to look embarrassed, "I am sorry, I thought someone would have already told you. Late last night a bill was proposed that would make it impossible for werewolves to be appointed into any position of stewardship." The reporter saw the look of shock on Harry's face, "I see that this is new news to you. I understand of course if you want to think about it before you make an official statement. However, if you wouldn't mind contacting me when you are ready to make your statement I assure you that I will make sure your words are represented accurately."

Harry's shock had quickly been replaced by an ice cold furry in the pit of his stomach. "You want a statement? I will give you a statement." Harry didn't even realize that his voice had risen in volume, not to a shout or yell, but to a ringing declaration that had started to attract the attention of people in the Alley. "First let me ask you a question. Does this proposed bill directly affect anyone but me and Mr. Lupin?"

Bartleby shook his head. "No, I do not believe it does at this time."

Harry continued, "I didn't think so. This is my statement. I think it is a crime, yes an actual crime, that the Ministry of magic is expending its resources in a personal attack against my friend and me. Voldemort is back. He is killing people, and he has stated his intent to attack the Wizarding World." Harry finally noticed the small crowd he was attracting, but he was beyond caring. "What is the ministry doing? Nothing! Do you think that these signs with their stupid Fudgisms on them will scare of Voldemort? No, They wont.

Just a couple of months ago Voldemort himself along with a dozen Death Eaters attacked the Ministry. Where was Fudge, where were the members of the Department of Magical Beasts? They were hiding; no make that cowering in their offices. And who was defending the Ministry? One of the first on the scene was Remus Lupin. He saved my life, and aided in the capture of almost a dozen death eaters.

In that one day he did more to keep you and your families safe than the ministry has done in the months since. And this is the thanks that our leaders give him? Voldemort is my enemy; I will oppose him for as long as there is breath in my body. But still the Ministry of Magic spends more time attacking me, and those other brave men and women who fight against Voldemort, than they do attempting to defend the world from his death eaters. It makes you wonder what side our _leaders_ are really on."

By now a rather large group of people had stopped to listen to what Harry was saying. One person from the crowd shouted out, "So you are in support of werewolf rights?"

Harry wanted to scream with frustration. "No. I am in support of human rights. Remus Lupin is a werewolf one night every lunar cycle. The rest of the time he is one of the most intelligent, insightful, compassionate, and brave wizards I have ever met. He is my friend and I trust him with my life. I support judging each individual on their own merits, not callously grouping them together, and claiming an entire group is evil."

Another voice spoke up, "What about the atrocities committed by werewolves over the last century, how can you ignore that?"

"Because they pale in comparison to the atrocities committed by Voldemort and his followers over the last year before his first downfall. I certainly don't want all wizards to be judged based on his actions." Harry snapped back at the wizard who had spoken. "Yes there are evil werewolves, lock them up in Azkaban. But unless we want to relinquish our own rights because of the actions of a few of our kind, we have no right to do that to any other group. I said I supported Human rights. Let me rephrase that. I support the rights of all sentient creatures, human or otherwise. And that is all that I plan on saying on this subject at this time."

Harry looked at Bartleby, "Was that enough of a statement for you?"

"Harry, I could write the whole paper and still have material left over." He suddenly handed Harry a small business card. "If you ever want to make another public statement, please contact me."

Ron shook his head as he and Harry started to push their way through the crowd that had gathered. "Harry, I don't think that quite qualifies as keeping a low profile." Suddenly Ron started to laugh, "Do you realize what you just did?"

Harry was starting to lose some of the righteous indignation that had fuelled his speech, and was in turn becoming embarrassed, "You mean besides making a fool of myself in front of half the Alley?"

"You just held your first press conference mate." Ron laughed even harder at the shocked look on his friends face. Suddenly the laughter died, and Ron looked deadly serious, "I think we are being followed."

Harry and Ron quickly ducked into a small back alley. Too late they realized their mistake as two men in black cloaks followed them. The men pulled out death eater masks and put them on their faces. Ron and Harry ran.

When they reached the end of the alley, Ron and Harry turned in opposite directions. The Death eaters were close enough behind that they didn't have time to correct their mistake. Harry raced down the alley, until he slid into a small alcove behind one of the shops. The small area only had the one way out of it, and the smiling death eater blocked that way.

Harry stepped back and circled to his left, drawing the Death eater into the small, enclosed space. Harry noticed with a laugh that someone had even put one of Fudg's ridiculous signs back here. The death eater started the fight with a shouted "Aveda Kadevra" which Harry neatly sidestepped before returning a quick blasting curse that threw the death eater violently back into Fudge's sign, breaking it into multiple pieces.

Before Harry could follow up on his attack the death eater fired a curse Harry wasn't' familiar with. Harry didn't quite get out of the way fast enough, and felt a wave of hot pain wash across his chest. He returned a quick "Stupefy, followed by an "Expeliarmus" neither of which hit. The duel carried on like this for a few minutes with neither opponent able to gain the clear upper hand. Harry was hampered by the closed space, which made it hard for him to use his speed and dodging skills to full effect.

After what seemed like an eternity, the death eater cast a cutting curse that got past Harry's defenses, and sliced a deep cut down Harry's leg. This caused Harry to topple over in agony. Harry Saw the Death eater raise his wand, and knew that he wouldn't be able to dodge the curse.

In desperation Harry pointed his wand at the broken bits of sign behind the death eater and screamed, "ACCIO" At the same time that the death eater started his Curse, "Aveda Ka…" The death eater suddenly stopped and looked in shock and horror at the jagged ends of the two signposts that were stuck out of his chest. With a wordless Gurgle of blood, the death eater topple forward, two pieces of Fudge's sign sticking grotesquely out of his back.

Harry pulled himself to his feet, and looked at the deep cut on his leg. He suddenly wished he had taken more time to study the healing magic books that he had purchased. With deep concentration Harry transfigured a random piece of debris into a bandage and wrapped it around his leg. Then took off in a limping run to find Ron.

Harry found his best Friend rolling on the ground struggling physically with a death eater. The death eater had his hands wrapped around Ron's throat, and was choking him. Ron was desperately trying to break the death eaters grip. Harry was attempting to position himself where he could curse the Death eater without hitting Ron, when something fell out of one of Ron's pockets. Ron suddenly let go of the death eater's hand, grabbed the item and shoved it into the death eater's mouth.

The Death eater suddenly jerked one of his hands back as if it had been stun, Ron choked out a word that Harry couldn't hear. Ron held the Death eater's mouth shut for a moment. The death eater jerked out of Ron's grip, and started to soundlessly twitch as he was ripped open from the inside, and a disgusting stench rose from his decimated body. Ron pulled himself up onto his knees before he was violently sick in the alley.

Harry was staring in mute horror at the body of the death eater. After a few minutes Harry helped grabbed Ron's wand, and helped his friend to his feet, "What the hell was that Ron?"

Ron didn't even look at Harry, "Portable swamp."

"You shoved a portable swamp down a Death Eater's throat?" Harry asked in amazement.

Ron looked at the Death Eater's body and tried to empty the contents of his already empty stomach. Harry started to drag his friend away from the horrible scene and back to the relative safety of the Main Alley. Ron suddenly pulled back, "We should tell someone."

"Do you trust the Ministry? I say we get out of here."

After a moment of contemplation Ron followed Harry. When the two young wizards reached the joke shop Fred quickly ushered them into the back room. "What happened to you two? You look horrible."

"Death Eaters." Harry answered.

To his credit, Fred only thought for a couple of seconds. "Ok you want to keep this quiet from mom. Get back to the burrow, and get cleaned up. We will cover for you when mom and Ginny get back."

Back in Ron's bedroom, Harry activated the Drawer function of his trunk. As soon as the trunk had changed shapes, Harry started opening small drawers and pulling out vials of potions. He grouped the potions into two small stacks. When he was done he thrust one stack of Potions at Ron. "Drink up mate."

Ron gasped, "What are they?"

Harry rattled of the potions as he pointed at the vials, "pain relieving potion, two doses of healing accelerant, Bruise masking potion, and a Bone mending Potion, which judging by the way you grimace in pain every time you breath your ribs could use."

Harry then grabbed the other stack of potions and quickly started downing them. After only a moment of hesitation Ron followed suit. The two friends then quickly stripped off their robes, it was amazing how just a couple minutes of fighting could destroy a set of clothing, and quickly washed their faces and hands. They were just finishing when they heard Mrs. Weasley yell from downstairs. After a quick glance to make sure that they didn't look like they had just been in a fight, the two boys went down to meat Molly.

That evening Harry and Ron were sitting silently alone in Ron's room. After a while Harry spoke up, "You don't have to do it if you don't want to you know."

"What? What are you on about?" Ron asked quietly.

"You don't have to fight beside me. You don't have to try to become an Auror if you don't want to. If you become an Auror, you will probably have to kill someone again. Do you think you could do that?" Harry knew that the Death Eater's death had affected Ron far more than Harry had been affected by killing his own Death Eater. He figured that part of it was just in how personal Ron's fight had been.

Ron looked up at Harry, "Yeah mate, I recon I could kill again, and that is what's bothering me. I was sick, and disgusted and horrified, and all sorts of emotions I don't even know the name for but I haven't been sorry. When you kill someone shouldn't you feel sorry?"

"I don't know. I am sort of new at this myself. But I'm not sorry I killed the Death Eater that followed me."

The next morning Harry and Ron were late going down to breakfast. Neither of them had much of an appetite. They stopped short in dread, when Mrs. Weasley looked up at them in obvious anger. "I see that the two of you made the front page of the prophet."

The little voice in Harry's head was screaming, 'they know! How do they know?' In as calm of a voice as he could muster Harry asked, "What do you mean?"

In answer Arthur plopped the paper down on the table in front of Harry and Ron. There at the top of the front page was a large picture of Ron and Harry standing in front of the Quidditch shop. The picture was accompanied by a large headline titled, "Potters Passionate Plea". Harry and Ron both breathed an inward sigh of relief.

Mrs. Weasley however was not happy. "I leave you alone for five minutes and look what you do. You were supposed to be staying out of sight. Then there is that business with the Death Eaters in the Alley, you are just lucky that those death eaters didn't see you, or we might be reading about your deaths."

Harry's insides had gone cold again, "What Death Eaters in the alley?"

Arthur answered, "Look at the bottom half of the front page."

Harry opened the paper and saw the second half of the front page was covered by a story that bore the title, "New threat to Death Eaters, are they friend or foe?"

Harry skimmed the article and was shocked that the Aurror's were considering the Death of the two Death Eaters to be a political statement from an "as of yet unnamed organization". Apparently the two sections of sign that had killed the death eater Harry had dueled with, by some stroke of fate, contained the words "no" and "confidence". This random coincidence was being viewed as blatant attack on the Minister of Magic calling for a vote of no confidence.

The report of the death eater Ron had killed was even farther from the truth. Kinglsey shacklebolt had been quoted as saying that he had never came across a more gruesome death. The official report released by the ministry claimed that the Death eater had been killed by an as yet unidentified dark curse of extreme power. This caused the paper to wonder if the new group was trying to defeat Voldemort, or replace him.

The twins stopped by shortly after breakfast, and dragged Harry outside to talk to. After a brief questioning of the events of the previous day, in which the twins decided they should put a warning on their swamps so that people wouldn't eat them, the twins pulled out a number of small packages. Fred handed Harry the first package and said, "New and improved Potter glasses."

Harry looked at the glasses and found that they looked virtually identical to the ones he had on. When he put them on he didn't see anything unusual about them. "Ok guy's I give up how are they improved?"

George took the glasses back and showed Harry a small sliding button on one of the arms of the glasses, "This allows you too see through things like walls and stuff, the farther back you slide the control the deeper you see."

"I wish we had had these when we were at Hogwarts." Fred said wistfully.

"Of course, we put a decency sensor on them, because while we trust you as much as we trust any teenage boy, our little sister is still at Hogwarts."

Fred continued, "You can't tell right now, but they can also detect Invisibility cloaks and concealment charms."

George grinned, "and our greatest feature. Is this" He indicated a small button in the arch between the two lenses. "Activate this"

Fred pulled out a mirror, "and we see what you see in this."

George continued, "Could be dead useful for reconnaissance."

Next Fred pulled out a small bottle of ink. "Without further ado, a way to communicate."

"You may think this is normal ink." George stated.

"But you would be wrong. This is an invention worthy of our genius, Right George?"

"Right Fred. Write your message like normal. Then press your DA Galleon onto the paper and say 'Umbridge must die'"

"The words will magically change too look like an order form for our jokes."

The original message can only be retrieved by someone with their own DA Galleon, and the password, "Umbridge is dead."

The twins then handed over the last of their packages, "These are an assortment of tricks that we thought might come in handy, as well as the Extendable Ears you wanted."

The morning of September First arrived far too soon. It was a day of mingled sadness and joy. Harry was happy to be returning to Hogwarts, but he was sad to say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He was also sad that it would be his last day with Bob and Jezzie. Actually the contract with all of the L.L.'s was already up. But the little devils (literally), had wanted to see Hogwarts.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny quickly commandeered the end car on the train, and waited for Hermione. When she had arrived, her and Ron had headed to the prefects car, leaving Ginny and Harry alone. This situation didn't last long, as Luna and Neville joined them before the train left the station. The four friends talked quietly until Ron and Hermione rejoined them.

Hermione immediately asked, "So what do you think about this new group of dark wizards that killed the death eaters the other day? I can understand where they are coming from with their call for the ousting of Fudge, but can we be sure that we will replace him with someone better? And really are these new people any better then the death eaters? What type of dark curse could be so powerful to almost completely destroy a body, but still be unknown to the Ministry?"

Harry and Ron had already decided that they would share the truth about what happened with their friends. So Harry interrupted Hermione before she could continue. "It wasn't some unknown group. It was Ron and I."

Hermione looked stunned. "But how?"

Harry explained his fight with the death eater, and ended saying, "The words on the sign were just a coincidence."

Ron then launched into his tail. He said that he had gotten in a lucky disarming spell, but must have missed the stunning spell. Ron had thought that the death eater was unconscious and had wanted to see his face. When Ron got too close, the death eater had knocked Ron's wand out of his hand, and had started choking him. He explained that he didn't think the swamp would kill the Death Eater; he was just desperate to get the bastard off of himself.

When he was done talking, Luna spoke up. "Well I think that makes perfect sense Ron. He tried to choke you to death, so you joked him to death."

Every eye in the car turned to stare at Luna. Suddenly one by one they all started grinning and laughing, with the exception of Luna and Hermione.

Hermione huffed, "It honestly isn't that funny everyone"

Ron snorted with laughter, "Sure it is Hermione. I joked him to death. That's dead funny."

Hermione huffed, "Well I still have a question for you. If the death eater was choking you, how did you manage to activate the Swamp?"

Ron grinned, "Carlos jabbed him in the hand with his pitchfork, and the bloke let go for a second."

"Oh, well I guess it is a good thing that he was with you then, isn't it?"

Neville asked, "Who is Carlos?"

Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione all shared secretive smiles. Suddenly the Little devil on Ron's shoulder became visible to the rest of the car, "I am Carlos," he stated with a deep sweeping bow.

Neville's jaw about hit the floor. Luna suddenly looked truly interested for the first time since the train ride had began. She leaned forward and looked intently at the little devil-like creature, "Pardon me for starring, but I have never seen a Wurlderberg Gragsnic before."

Hermione rolled her eyes and was about to say something when Carlos replied, "And in over five hundred years, I have never met a singe witch or wizard that knew our true name."

Harry wished that he had a camera to capture the look of absolute shock that was frozen on Hermione's face. Before he could torment Hermione for too long, there was a knock on the door. The knock was followed quickly by Terry boot entering the compartment.

Harry looked at his watch and suddenly blushed, "I'm Sorry. I lost track of time. We will be up in just a second."

Ginny was the first to ask, "Harry, what is going on?"

Harry blushed even deeper, "I sort of forgot to mention that we are having a DA meeting in the prefect cars." Before Hermione could comment he quickly added, "Dumbledore assigned them to our use for the last half of the train ride."

Harry dragged his trunk to the front of the train. The DA cars had been magically enlarged to be able to fit the DA, and everyone except Marrieta Edgcomb was present. Harry launched into a similar presentation to the one he had given the Hogwarts Governors. When he was done, the whole group was dead silent. Harry decided to sum everything up, "So basically the DA will function in two parts. The defense study section will be open to all students fifth year and above.

The second function of the DA, which is to actively protect the students of Hogwarts, is open only to people who have completed at least one year of membership in the DA. This group will be known as the DA Knights. Normally students who are willing to take upon themselves this responsibility will submit their names to the current DA Knights who will vote on acceptance. Since we are currently a small group, and I have faith in all of you, I propose that we vote to accept any current member of the DA who desires to be a Knight."

Harry called for a vote, and was pleased to see that while there was some hesitation from a few students, the vote was unanimous. Harry then opened his trunk to the wardrobe function, causing quite a few Oohs and Aahs. He removed something from a hanger in the wardrobe and held it up. "Parvarti and Lavender were asked to secretly come up with some designs for an article of clothing for the DA Knights to wear. This is the one that was accepted." Harry put on what appeared to be a stylish half-cloak/half cape that draped over his right arm. It was attached across the neck with a brilliant gold clasp made from the DA Symbol. The DA Crest was embroidered into the shoulder of the garment.

Harry looked at Pavarti and Lavender who were practically glowing with happiness. "I hope you don't mind, but I took a couple liberties with your design." He then turned back to the rest of the DA. "Originally the design called for this to be worn on the shoulder opposite of your wand hand. These have all been charmed so that they will never interfere with your arm or wrist movements, so having them cover your wand arm is not a problem. They have also been charmed with a combination concealment and befuddlement charm. This helps to disguise your wand movements which could be useful in a duel."

Harry looked around the room to see that there were no immediate questions before he continued. "Because the DA was accepted into the official structure of the school, the Knight's cloak was also accepted as an official addition to the school uniform. That means that you cannot get in trouble for wearing this, as long as you are indeed a DA Knight. Anyone not belonging to the organization that is found wearing one will be severely punished." Harry Paused to give weight to his next words. "If you decide to take up the mantle of the DA Knight, you have the right to decide when, and where to wear this. However if you are wearing the uniform, you are duty bound to protect the students of Hogwarts. This may even mean protecting students from other houses against students from our own. If you want to accept this responsibility talk to me after the meeting is over to receive your Knight's cloak."

Harry then transformed his trunk back into a trunk, and pulled out one of the boxes he had gotten from the Jeweler's at Diagon Alley. He opened it up and revealed that it was full of small Silver Pins in the DA design. He handed these out to all of the members. "This marks you as a member of the DA, you can wear it on your normal Hogwarts robe on the left breast, above the heart." He next pulled out the Box of books and started to hand out a copy of his book to everyone. He was quickly stopped when he found out that half of the DA members had already purchased a copy of the book.

Luna Lovegood was one of the students that had already purchased the book, and made the comment. "I couldn't help but notice the similarity between this book and our lessons last year." She then looked at Harry with her large unblinking eyes, "You wrote it didn't you?"

Harry gulped, 'well he thought, the cat is out of the bag now, no use lying', "Yes Luna, I wrote that book based on the lessons we covered last year, and the ones I was planning on us covering. I will be doing the same when we finish this year."

There was an immediate clamoring for attention as questions from "Will you sign my book?" To "Are you sure the information is accurate?" rang out.

Eventually the commotion had died down, and all of the questions were answered. Harry was surprised when the entire group stayed after they were dismissed. It appeared that they all wanted to join the DA Knighthood.

Harry asked Colin and Dennis Creevey to wait until everyone else had left. When only the creevey's and Harry's best friends were left Harry changed compartments on the trunk, and pulled out a medium sized box, which he handed to Colin. Colin unwrapped the box, and was shocked to discover the most expensive top of the line Wizards camera available on the market.

"Colin, along with your normal duties I was hoping I could get you to be the official photographer for the DA."

Colin just nodded mutely. Harry thought absently that it was the first time he had ever seen Colin quiet except for when he had been petrified.

Harry then turned to Dennis. "Dennis, as the youngest member of the DA I wanted to talk to you. I don't plan on assigning you too many extra duties. Also in the future No one under fourth year will be admitted into the DA. This makes you rather unique as a third year that is already a DA Knight. I am going to ask you not to wear your Knight uniform during classes. You are however a member of the DA, and you qualify by our rules to wear that cloak, so you may wear it at any time you desire outside of the actual classrooms."

Harry then paused, "Also it is up to you as to what DA class you attend. I would actually recommend only coming to the classes that you find particularly interesting, and waiting until next year to retake the first year DA course. The only reason I say this is that it will put you in the normal structure of the DA, and will let you be with more people from your own year. The choice is yours."

The rest of the ride to Hogwarts went uneventfully. Harry was surprised, but he didn't even have to endure Malfoy's usual visit. This time Unfortunately Luna and Harry weren't the only ones who could see the thestrals. That pulled the carriages up to Hogwarts. The great hall was as magnificent as ever, and Harry really felt good to be home.

Harry noticed an older Gray haired lady with extremely stern features sitting next to Professor McGonagall. Harry assumed she was the new defense teacher. Apparently there hadn't been any other staff changes. The sorting passed by in a blur, and Harry didn't even notice what the hat said. Ron dug into the feast with his usual gusto. This time however Harry almost matched him bite for bite.

When the feast was finally dying down, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "I would like to welcome you to another Year at Hogwarts. I would like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is shockingly still forbidden. Mr. Filch has asked me to let you know that the list of banned items has been once again expanded. If any of you actually care what these items are, I will let you check the list for yourself." Dumbledore then gestured to the Stern faced woman, "I would like you to welcome our new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor McKinnon."

The students of the hall clapped politely, but with obvious reservation. Harry wondered if the new teacher was related to the McKinnon's that had been involved in the order of the Phoenix during the first war.

The woman stood up and looked around the room before turning to Professor Dumbledore, "Albus may I address the students?"

Dumbledore looked surprised but gestured for her to continue. Before she started speaking Harry thought to himself, 'Great, she's starting out just like Umbridge.' The woman stepped out from behind the staff table and addressed the assembled students. "I just wanted to get this out of the way so that I don't waste your time, and you don't waste mine. If any of you plan on supporting the dark lord, don't even bother showing up for my class." Having said that Professor McKinnon returned to her seat.

After a few moments of stunned silence, the Hall exploded in a much more enthusiastic round of applause. Well most of the hall applauded anyways. Professor Dumbledore waited until the Applause had died down. "You may have noticed that some of your fellow students are wearing an interesting addition to the Hogwarts robes. This indicates a drastic change in the Hogwarts structure to include a new organization, the Defense Association. Harry potter will now come forward and explain the purpose of this organization.

Most of the hall turned to look at Harry with looks of surprise that closely mirrored the one he was wearing as well. Slowly Harry stood up, and walked to the front of the hall. 'I'm going to kill bloody Dumbledore,' Harry thought to himself as he stepped behind the podium. He did his best to attempt to explain the purpose of the DA, and the DA Knights. When he was finished with his summary of the organization he added almost as an afterthought, "If you see someone wearing one of these cloaks, feel free to ask for any help you need. I would also like to encourage everyone to participate in the dance on Saturday, which is the DA's way of introducing itself to you.

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_I__ have some quick comments to make. First thank you for the reviews, they mean a lot._

_Second one of my reviewers, OrionArion, said something that made me rethink a line from the previous chapter. I will seldom change a chapter that I have already written, I am however planning on changing the DA Motto on the letterhead to read, Protection through Instruction and Action, as apposed to Instruction and Knowledge._

_Lastly a couple people have asked me about how often I will update. I started writing this story the same day that I signed up for my Fanfiction account. Because they wouldn't let me post for the first couple of days I had the first two and a half chapters done before I posted anything. Since then I have posted a chapter before starting to write the following chapter. As such I cannot guarantee any set schedule of posts. I am more than capable of knocking out a chapter a day if I have the time to do so. I will not always have the time to do this. Some chapters may take four or five days. It is possible that if my schedule gets hectic updates might take even longer, although I seriously hope not. One benefit of this is that I can implement suggestions. It has surprised me how often someone will suggest something for the next chapter that coincides with what I had just written, but there have also been times that your reviews have made me add sections to the chapter I am working on._


	8. Chapter 8 Welcome Back to Hogwarts

Hmm, if you haven't guessed it yet I am not J.K. Rowling. Heck, I not female or British.

I am sorry if the last chapter did not have enough violence for you. I tried using more Death Eaters, but they killed Ron and Harry, so I had to back it down a bit. There will be at least two major battles, and lots of duels in this story though, so keep your hopes up.

**Welcome back to Hogwarts**

Harry was bored out of his mind. Ron wasn't much better. The potion to reduce sleep had been a great idea over the summer. Both boys had used it too good effect, and studied more than they had ever done before. Now that they were back at Hogwarts, house of learning, neither of them could work up the desire to open a book. Of course it was only the first day back, and the welcome feast had ended only a few hours ago.

Ginny was up in her dorm room, practicing Occlumency. Ron and Harry had started off the night in good spirits, but there were only so many times you could play chess in one night. Soon the silence got too great, and Ron spoke. "I can't take it." He turned to Harry with a look of desperation in his eyes. "Please tell me that you have something we can do that doesn't involve books. C'mon Harry I know that you have schemes and plans you haven't shared with me yet. Anything?"

"Why do I need to come up with the plan?" Harry didn't bother trying to hide the irritation in his voice. After a few more minutes of silence, a slow contemplative grin spread across Harry's face.

Ron immediately leaned forward in anticipation, "You do have a plan, don't you?"

"Ron, how would you feel about breaking a bunch of rules, and reliving one of our worst adventures?"

Ron visibly paled at Harry's words. Ron shut his eyes, and summoned all of his Gryffindor courage before replying. "Ok Harry, I'm in. What do you want with the acromantula's though?"

Harry almost laughed. He realized that Ron and him had a slightly different idea of which of their adventures were the worst ones. "Actually Ron. I wasn't talking about breaking that many rules. I had two ideas in mind actually. Revisiting the end of our first year, or the end of our second year." Harry decided to add as an afterthought, "Don't worry, I have no intention of talking to Aragog anytime soon. So do you have a preference on where we go?"

Ron's eyes were wide, "What do you want to do in those two places?"

"Well, no one ever uses any of the rooms around where the Stone was hidden. I wanted to look at them again, and see if they might work for the DA headquarters. If Dumbledore will let me, I want to keep using the room of requirement for the Knights. I was thinking that we might not want everyone knowing about the room of requirements though."

Harry looked around to make sure that they truly were alone, and then leaned in closer to Ron. "I have an idea for the DA that was definitely not in my proposal to the governors. It's actually something I want to keep secret, and I thought that the chamber might be a good place to set it up. We wouldn't actually be going into the chamber tonight. We need to spend a lot of time clearing the path to the chamber, and making it safer. Also I think that Ginny has a right to be there when we first open the actual chamber. Well that is if she wants to be."

It only took a few minutes for Ron to make up his mind. "The chamber tonight. We can explore under the trapdoor during the day, it isn't technically off limits." Ron paused, "Well actually I guess no one has said we weren't allowed to go into the chamber of secrets either. Still, I think that it would be best to do that when we are least likely to be missed."

Harry grinned at his friend, "You do realize you just volunteered to spend the rest of the night cleaning don't you?" Ron sagged in mock depression. Harry decided to continue. "Oh, and Ron, I have plans that Myrtle would be really useful for, so don't insult her if we run into her in her bathroom."

Ron recoiled in shock, "What plans could you possibly have for Moaning Myrtle?"

"You'll see." Harry said with a grin.

With the Marauders Map to keep them from getting caught, the two boys easily made it to Myrtle's Bathroom. The bathroom hadn't changed much since second year. Harry was a little surprised that Dumbledore hadn't permanently sealed it when he learned of the entrance to the chamber of Secrets. 'Of course, not many people can open the chamber' thought Harry. One difference was that the sink that opened into the entrance to the chamber was filled with a softly glowing silvery liquid.

"Myrtle?" Harry called out softly. He didn't want to wake her if she was asleep. But if figured if she was around and awake she would feel hurt if they were in her bathroom and didn't talk to her.

"Whose there?" Came Myrtles lilting voice from one of the stalls. "Come to make fun of poor Moaning Myrtle? Well why don't you just go away."

"Um Myrtle, it's me. Harry. Harry potter, and well my friend Ron Weasley. We didn't come here to make fun of you. We just wanted to say hi."

Myrtle immediately flew through the door of her bathroom stall, and sailed around the two wizards, inspecting them from all angles. Finally, after a thorough inspection, She seemed satisfied. "Harry, you've grown up." The sadness in Myrtle's voice was easily evident. She suddenly switched to a happier tone, "But you came to see me, and before the first day of classes too."

Harry did his best to smile politely at Myrtle. "So how have you been lately?"

Myrtle immediately started to wail, "How have I been? You mean besides being dead? Well the summer had been awfully lonely with no one in the castle. Of course when you are a ghost that no one wants to talk to, it's awfully lonely even when there are people in the castle."

Harry suddenly knew what the best way to get Myrtle to do what he needed was, "Myrtle have you heard about the DA?"

"Of course I have. I'm not stupid you know. The whole school is talking about it. The ghosts and the portraits haven't shut up about it since the feast." Myrtle suddenly burst into tears again, "Not that any of them are talking to me of course."

"Well Myrtle, the real reason that Ron and I came down here was to see if you wanted to become the official DA ghost?" Myrtle looked at Harry with obvious interest, and Ron looked at Harry as if he had lost his mind. Harry decided to press forward. "Of course if you become the DA ghost that will mean that you have to come to some of the meetings. And of course you will have to talk with me or another member of the DA at least once a week to give reports on anything strange you have seen going on in the school. Oh, and I would probably have some secret jobs for you to accomplish for the DA."

By now Myrtle looked about as far from moaning as possible. "You mean that Harry? People would have to talk to me every week? And they wouldn't make fun of me?"

"Myrtle if anyone makes fun of you, let me know and I will deal with them." Harry stated as firmly as he could.

Myrtle did a number of back flips before sailing around the room in a series of complex aerial acrobatics. Eventually she stopped before Harry, "I would like that very much."

"Ok Myrtle. I am going to have a meeting of the DA tomorrow." Harry glanced down at his watch, "Or actually later today I guess. If you want to come to the meeting I will introduce you. Now Ron and I are going to open the sink and go down by the chamber of secrets. We aren't going to make it into the actual chamber today. But if you want to come with us you can. It will be mostly boring as we are going to be cleaning. The next time we go down, we will open the chamber, and you can see the corpse of the thing that killed you if you want."

"It really is dead then?" Harry nodded in answer to Myrtle's question. The ghost looked downright spiteful as she continued. "Good. I'm glad you killed it. I think I would like very much to see its body."

Harry was just about to speak the parseltounge password to open the sink when Myrtle stopped him, "Aren't you going to disable the alarm first?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other in surprise. "What alarm Myrtle?"

Myrtle swayed back and forth in the air as she answered. Way back, after you stopped coming to visit me, Dumbledore came into my bathroom, and put an alarm on the sink so that he would know if anyone opened it.

Harry and Ron looked dismayed, "I don't suppose you know how to disable the alarm do you?"

Myrtle nodded. "Dumbledore likes to think out loud when he doesn't think anyone important is around to hear him. I heard him say that as long as that liquid he put in the sink stayed in the bathroom the alarm would be silent. He seemed to think that when someone opened the sink the liquid would all escape down the drain."

Ron spoke up, "So all we have to do is keep that silver liquid in the bathroom, and Dumbledore will never know we opened the chamber?"

Myrtle looked appraisingly at Ron. "You know. You are smarter than you look."

Ron looked rather strangely at Myrtle. "Um, thanks, I think."

Myrtle replied, "OH, it wasn't much of a compliment."

Harry used his wand and carefully transferred the silvery liquid from the sink into a different sink. "Myrtle, does Dumbledore ever come in here to check on his alarm?"

"No Harry. I don't think he likes hanging out in the ladies loo."

The slide down the tunnel to the chamber was exhilarating. Although Harry could have done without all of the slime and filth that he accumulated while taking the trip. Harry carefully picked himself up from the floor of the tunnel that the pipe had deposited him on, and waited for Ron.

The two wizards, joined by Myrtle, carefully walked down the tunnel until they reached the cave in. After a short conversation, it was decided that the best course of action would be to work together. One of them would levitate Rock up into the ceiling, and the other one would attach them with a permanent sticking charm. As they worked Harry couldn't help but think that there was probably a better way to hold the roof of the tunnel together, but he didn't know what it was.

While levitating the rocks, Harry decided that it would be a good time to play with Ron's discovery of the other day. After a couple of failed tries, Harry was able to inscribe the entire levitation Rune in the air with his wand. Harry was surprised to find that when he did this and timed the incantation of "Wingardium Leviosa" properly, the levitation charm became far more powerful. By using this technique Harry was able to Levitate large groups of Rocks instead of lifting them one at a time.

Further experimentation showed that just the movement of the rune with no incantation could be used to levitate rocks as well, although it was slightly harder than the standard way that they had been taught in first year. Harry even learned that it was possible to use the spell without any wand movement, just by pointing at the object and saying the proper words. This way of casting the spell was by far the most difficult, and had the least effect.

Harry and Ron were both immensely proud of their new discovery, although Ron figured that Hermione already knew about it. He just couldn't imagine himself figuring something out that his brilliant friend hadn't figured out first. As they worked, Harry and Ron discussed what possible other spells could be amplified by looking into ancient Runes.

Surprisingly, Myrtle stayed mostly quiet as she watched Ron and Harry work. Harry started to feel bad that the ghost was so starved for attention that she was happy to just be allowed to hang around. Harry also felt a little guilty that the only reason he had decided to include her in his plans is that he couldn't think of a way to accomplish some of them without a ghost's help.

It took almost three hours of solid work before the cave in was cleared. Neither Harry nor Ron was too eager to stand under the area of the tunnel that they had repaired. There was of course no guarantee that the rocks they had attached the repaired ceiling too were stable. The two boys spent the next hour casting banishing charms on the small skeletons that lined the tunnel, and just generally trying to remove some of the filth. By the time they were done, it was almost five in the morning, and the two friends were ready to get back to the rest of the castle. They pulled out their brooms, which they had remembered to bring with them, and prepared to fly up the pipe, back to Myrtle's bathroom.

Before they took off, Ron commented. "If we are really going to be using the chamber this year we need to figure out a better way to get into and out of it." He paused for a few moments, "Hermione especially will hate having to fly a broom up a twisting pipe."

Harry had contemplated the same thing, but hadn't been able to come up with an acceptable solution. Harry and Ron slowly flew up the pipe together. Ron used his wand to cast a powerful lumos spell, while Harry did his best to cast cleaning spells at the pipe in front of them. Harry was only slightly successful in his attempt to clean the slime off of the pipe, but felt confident that after a number of similar trips a person would be able to slide down the pipe without ruining their clothes.

Once they were back in the castle Harry and Ron made their way back to the dormitory. Harry immediately started to get dressed for his morning workout. Harry was just about to leave the common room when he saw Ron starring at him.

"Is there something wrong?" Harry asked his friend.

After making sure he wouldn't be overheard, Ron asked. "I thought you were done taking that growth potion?"

Harry was genuinely confused, "I am Ron. Why do you ask?"

"Well if you don't have to worry about suddenly ballooning into a whale, why are you exercising?" Ron seemed perplexed at the actions of his friend.

Harry shrugged, "I guess I grew to sort of like it this summer. The physical exertion seems to help me control my emotions a little better."

"So you are saying if you run you won't be as crabby? Well what are you waiting for? Get moving." Ron gave Harry a cheeky grin.

Harry laughed and headed outside to Run. He made a couple of quick circuits of the Hogwarts grounds, then stripped down to his bathing suit that he had worn under his workout clothes. After only a moment's hesitation, Harry dove into the lake. Thankfully he didn't run into any Grindylows, or even merpeople. He did have an interesting encounter with the giant squid, who strangely reminded Harry of an overgrown puppy that wanted to play, but didn't know its own strength. After swimming until his arms felt like lead, Harry used a quick drying charm, and headed back to the castle.

He wasn't overly surprised to see Draco and his two goons waiting outside the main doors of Hogwarts. "Not very smart are you Potter. Being out here all alone like this, there's no telling what accidents might happen to you."

Harry was surprised to find that he didn't hate Draco anymore. He didn't like the prat, but Harry had so many more people on his list of enemies that Draco just didn't seem worth the effort. Of course that didn't mean that Harry was going to let Draco insult or threaten him without retaliation.

"Why what type of accidents do you mean Malfoy? Do you mean like when I accidentally sent your father to prison? Or when I accidentally took back everything your family had stolen from me?" Harry laced his voice with overly fake innocence.

Draco instantly raised his wand, only to find himself starring at the point of Harry's wand as well. With barely bridled Furry Draco snarled, "Watch yourself Potter, the odds aren't exactly in your favor right now."

Harry's voice was deadly calm, "Lets be realistic Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle aren't going to be any real help to you. So really this is just one on one, you and me. Not even your father was brave enough to try those odds, and look what happened to him."

Draco looked cast a sideways glance at his lackeys, and seamed to lose a little of his confidence, "Don't worry Potter, you will get what you deserve."

"I hope your right Malfoy, I would love to get what I deserve for once."

"I hope you don't think that your pathetic little Defense Association will be patrolling the Slytherin hallways. Remember I am prefect, which means that I can take away house points whenever I want, and anyone wearing one of those ridiculous cloaks of yours will lose twenty points on the spot."

Harry smiled grimly at the Slytherin boy. "I really hope you try Malfoy. Just remember, that I had to actually study the school rules in order to write the proposal for the DA, that means I know exactly what you can do, and what my avenue of recourse is."

Harry was suddenly tired of talking to Malfoy. Without another word, he brushed past the three Slytherins, easily knocking Goyle out of his way. He had almost reached the doors when he heard Draco shout "Impedimenta" Harry had been expecting something like this, and was in a diving roll to his right before the word was even out of Draco's mouth. As Harry was moving he yelled out "Serpensortia" A large snake instantly appeared out of the end of his wand.

"Attack the blond boy, but don't hurt him." Harry hissed in Parseltounge, before he even finished his roll.

Harry ended his roll, and looked at Draco in time to see the Slytherin fumble a spell at the snake. When the spell failed Draco turned and took off running in terror, the magical snake only feet behind him.

Harry remembered the advise that Fred had given him earlier in the year, and cast a number of quick Lumos charms on his way back to Gryffindor Tower. He quickly showered and got dressed, then met the rest of his friends in the common room before going down to breakfast.

Though Harry was fully prepared for Snape's appearance at the Gryffindor breakfast table, He was grateful Professor McGonagall had headed towards the table as soon as she saw Snape's destination. Professor Snape stopped in front of Harry, "I don't know how you managed to fool the examiners. You and I both know you don't deserve to be allowed in my class.

Harry tried to force a smile to his face, "Don't worry, I don't plan on being in your class." Snape seemed Genuinely taken back by this answer. Harry attempted to turn back to his breakfast, "If there is nothing else, I am afraid that I am rather hungry this morning."

"No. Nothing else, except for thirty points from Gryffindor, and a week of detention for you."

By this time Professor McGonagall had reached the table, "What is the meaning of this Severus?"

"Mr. Potter lay in ambush, and violently attacked three of my students this morning. He is lucky he isn't being expelled."

Professor McGonagall turned to Harry, "Is this true?"

Harry shook his head, and swallowed the mouthful of food he was chewing, "No professor. I swear that I did not ambush anyone."

Snape leaped in, "That is a lie. You cast the serpensortia spell and ordered the snake to kill Draco."

Harry was suddenly on his feet, any pretense of composure gone, "I did no such thing." He struggled to regain his mental balance, before asking as innocently as possible, "Was Draco bitten by a snake this morning?"

Snape narrowed his eyes, "No, he was able to fight it off before it hurt him."

Harry dropped his wand into his hand, and presented it to Professor McGonagall. "You can check my wand to see that I didn't cast that spell." Silently he prayed that the twins were right.

McGonagall took the offered wand, and cast the priori incantatem spell on it, causing it to glow brightly with the lumos spell, she tried the spell a few more times with the same result.

Snape sneered, "That doesn't prove anything, Potter probably knows that we can only check the last spell cast with any certainty."

Harry did his best to fake surprise, "But when I dueled with Voldemort, I was able to force memories of spells he performed fifteen years ago out of his wand."

Professor McGonagall looked at Snape, "Severus, without any evidence, I cannot let you punish Harry, who I will remind you is in my house, not yours."

Professor Snape was furious, "I don't need proof. I know he is guilty."

By now everyone who was at breakfast was watching the confrontation. Harry had sworn to himself that he would control his temper around Snape, but now that he was face to face with the potion's master Harry couldn't contain himself. "You know I am guilty? Is that the same way that you knew I cheated on my OWL's? How did you feel when under even closer scrutiny I got a better score? The entire examination board declared me innocent, and confirmed what you have denied for years, I am more than competent in your class." Harry barely noticed McGonagall's shocked gasp.

The potion's master glared at Harry, "No matter who you are able to blind with your fame, I will always know the truth. You are nothing but a spoiled insolent brat."

Harry met Snape's eyes in a furious glare. Instantly he realized his mistake, as the alarm in his head triggered. Severus Snipe's eyes narrowed in concentration, then suddenly shone with triumph. The triumph was almost instantly replaced by shock, and Snape dropped soundlessly onto the floor, and started shivering violently. Harry could feel every eye in the room shift from Snape's prostrate form, to Harry.

It was Hermione who finally asked the question everyone was wondering, "Harry, what did you do to him?"

Harry tried to suppress the smile that was threatening to manifest itself on his face, "Why Hermione, from his reaction I believe that Professor Snape made it to the second of my mental defenses."

Hermione gasped, "Do you mean that he tried to break into your mind?"

Dumbledore's voice was a shock, since Harry hadn't noticed the headmaster's approach. "Second defense did you say? It appears that our erstwhile potion's master made it farther than I did when I made the same mistake of attempting to enter Harry's mind uninvited."

McGonagall looked immensely relieved, "So Potter didn't attack Severus?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "No, I am afraid that Severus brought this on himself. Although I share some of the blame, I should after all have warned him."

Professor Snape was starting to come around, and was furious. "Potter, I will see that you are expelled for this!" Snape yelled, apparently unaware of the Headmaster's presence.

"Now Severus, if you but take a moment to think, I am sure you will be quite delighted that Mr. Potter has finally been able to shore up his mental defenses. I am afraid that you have only yourself to blame, since you were the one who taught Mr. Potter Occlumency." Professor Dumbledore said in a soothing voice.

"I didn't teach him…" Snape stopped mid sentence, "What I mean is I didn't expect that potter would actually accomplish anything over the summer. He obviously didn't during last school year." Snape was looking at Harry with a hint of fear in his eyes now that he realized what had happened.

Dumbledore's voice suddenly filled the hall, "Now if everyone will return to their meals, I believe we have had quite enough excitement for one breakfast."

After breakfast was over, Harry and Ron approached Professor McGonagall. She ushered the two into her office to discuss their independent study of Potions. Once they were alone the head of Gryffindor house smiled at the two young wizards, "I will say that your results on your ancient Runes OWL did quite a lot to set my mind at ease. Doing an independent study takes discipline, which I didn't think either of you had in great abundance."

"After viewing your Runes scores, I am convinced that if you truly want to make a go of studying potions you will succeed." She then turned to look at Harry, "When I saw your Owl results, I was going to strongly suggest that you take your NEWT potions with Professor Snape. However, after your confrontation with him today, I believe that it might be best for you to spend as little time around him as possible."

Harry and Ron spent the next fifteen minutes giving a brief outline of how they planned to focus their study. They had decided that they wanted to explore a little more of the actual theory behind potions than was covered in their class. Harry especially, wanted to know how potions really worked, not just how to brew them and the properties of a few key ingredients. Even with the focus on theory, they planned on spending at least two periods a week brewing potions. They admitted that they might change the direction of their study if the potion theory didn't interest them once they got to deeper into it.

Professor McGonagall was impressed with their plan's for potions, and asked if they planned on continuing Runes as an independent study, or if they wanted to join the normal NEWT class. Ron and Harry had discussed this after learning that they qualified for the class, and thought it might be nice to see what information the professor presented that wasn't in the books. When Professor McGonagall heard this, she suggested that they talk to professor Babbling to see if she would let them into her class.

They found Professor Babbling's office easily enough, and were both glad to see that the professor, at least on the outside, appeared to be a rather friendly woman. She had eagerly accepted the two new students to her NEWT level class, and told them multiple times how wonderful it was to see someone take an interest in the ancient art of runes. Harry and Ron decided to keep their ancient runes OWL a secret, and surprise Hermione on the first day of class.

The DA meeting later that day was also a success from Harry's perspective. He had called the meeting mostly out of guilt. He realized after the train ride, that he had just assumed that the DA was willing to keep him on as it's leader, and that he would be able to teach the lesson's for at least the student's in their second year of enrollment. Harry had been forced to remind himself that even though he had done the work to make the DA an official part of the school, it was not his organization to control.

Harry had apologized, and explained that part of the Purpose of the DA was to be a student ran, and student responsible, organization. The members of the DA had unanimously voted to keep Harry on in the two positions he wanted. They were a little more skeptical about allowing Marietta back into the group. She had explained the pressure she had received from home the previous year, and apologized to everyone. Harry had helped her out by pointing out that people who had known him since his first year at Hogwarts had originally believed him guilty of the crimes that the Ministry of Magic had accused him of. Eventually the group had voted to let Marietta back in. There were still people opposed to her, but the majority was willing to give her a second chance.

Marietta became the first returning member to the DA to decline the opportunity to become a DA Knight. She had explained to Harry that she didn't feel that she deserved the honor, since being a knight meant putting the students of Hogwarts safety above anything else.

Harry's proposal to accept Moaning Myrtle as their official DA ghost was met with mixed reaction. Most of the boy's, many of whom had never heard of Myrtle, thought that having their own ghost was a great idea. The girls who had had far more experience with Myrtle were a bit more hesitant. Harry explained that as a ghost Myrtle would be able to see and hear things that none of the other members of the group could. There were only a few places in the castle that were warded against ghosts, and so she would be indispensable in gathering information. In the end the group voted to accept Myrtle. Once again Harry felt a twinge of regret that he was lying to his friends, but felt that it was necessary.

The majority of the meeting was filled with talk about the dance that was to happen the following day. Harry wanted to keep a few surprises for the dance, but in the end admitted that he needed some help. The DA quickly split into a couple of dance committees. One group was charged with recruiting some of the younger students that wouldn't be dancing to help with the serving of refreshments. A second group was headed by Colin, and charged with organizing the photography for the dance. Harry was surprised that there were five students that had cameras besides Colin, who had his own camera and the new DA camera.

The largest committee was a group that had agreed to help Harry with the decorations. Harry had planned out how he wanted the great hall to be decorated in great detail. He was reluctant to share his overall plan, and swore all of the members of his decorating group to absolute secrecy before he was willing to tell them what he was planning. When he explained his idea everyone agreed that it would make for an interesting dance.

Before the DA split up he asked that everyone look at their own houses and recommend current fourth year students that they thought would be good to approach for membership in the DA. He reminded the group that they would accept all people fifth year and above, but that fourth years would only be by invitation. He also asked that everyone look to see if there were any Slytherins that they were willing to nominate for entry into the DA. Harry couldn't think of any Slytherins that he trusted, but outside of his year he didn't really know any Slytherins.

When everyone else had left, Ron and Hermione approached Harry. Hermione was the first to speak. "Ok so what is the real reason you want Myrtle's help?"

Harry looked nervous as he answered. "Well everything I said is true. And as a Hogwarts student that died here in the castle she is a good reminder of what we are defending against."

Hermione put her hands on her hips, "Harry Potter. I have been your friend since our first year at Hogwarts and I know when you are lying to me."

Harry hung his head, "I'm not lying. I'm just not telling you everything."

Ron looked at Harry with open curiosity. "This has something to do with what we were working on last night, doesn't it."

Hermione looked between the two of her closest friends. "Wait a minute, you were still up when I went to sleep, and you were both up before I woke up. What were you doing?"

Harry and Ron both looked at each other in horror. They had been keeping the Dreamless Draught secret from Hermione, but neither of them was willing to blatantly lie to her. Finally Harry gave a defeated shrug "Well I guess the cat is out of the bag. Ron and I spent all night repairing the tunnel that goes to the chamber of secrets."

Harry's fear was confirmed when, instead of asking the obvious question of why they had been repairing the tunnel, Hermione asked. "If the two of you were up all night, why aren't you tired?"

Harry couldn't see any way out of it, so he explained to her about the Dreamless Draught. By the time Harry was done explaining the potion Hermione was furious.

"Why didn't they tell us about this last year. I could have done so much more studying. I would have been ready for the OWL's."

Harry's eyes widened, he couldn't believe that Hermione was upset at the school, not at him and Ron. Of course, Harry had neglected to mention that he and Ron had been using the potion all summer.

Strangely enough Ron answered Hermione's questions. "Hermione, most student's wouldn't have used the potion to study. Can you imagine if Fred and George hadn't needed to sleep?"

Hermione looked contemplative for a minute, "I suppose you are right. It would be difficult for the teachers to watch all of the students if we didn't need to sleep." Suddenly she pointed her finger straight at Harry, "But now that we know the potion exists, you are going to show me the instructions so that I can make some for me too."

Harry nodded his head quickly up and down, "Of course I will Hermione. If you want, I have the instructions and all the necessary ingredients in my trunk back in Gryffindor tower.

Harry spent that night mapping out all of the charms and spells that would need to be cast to transform the great hall for the dance. While Harry was working on this, Hermione and Ron looked for a better way to shore up the tunnel to the chamber of secrets, to make sure that there wasn't another cave in. Ginny used the time to work on her Occlumency. She was almost done with the process of building the connections between her memories, and was anxious to finish and move on to protecting her mind. Ginny had set the goal of having her mind protected before her first potions class with Professor Snape. Harry suspected that her defenses would come in handy.

Saturday morning, immediately after breakfast, Dumbledore kicked everyone out of the great hall and turned it over to Harry. Harry cast a spell to split the hall into four distinct sections, none able to see the other. He then led in the DA members that would be helping him with the decorations. He split the decorators up into four different groups, and handed them written instructions on the spells that they needed to use. Harry himself joined one of the groups, and went to work.

It was slightly past lunchtime before all of the groups were done. Harry spent the next hour adding small personal finishes to each of the group's decorations, before finally gathering the group near the entrance doors to the hall. When everyone was ready, Harry dropped the spell that prevented people from seeing the entire room at the same time. Harry was more than satisfied at the collective intake of breath that came from his friends. Even though they had all worked on the decorations, seeing the finished project was incredible.

The great hall was transformed into a miniature replication of the grounds of Hogwarts. The room was set up as if the main doors to the hall were at the northernmost edge of the school grounds. To the right was the Quidditch pitch, with Quidditch game in progress. To the left was the Forbidden forest, with the front row of trees chopped down to provide seats. Actually there was a bench that ran along the entire wall, but it had been illusioned to look like tree stumps to match the setting of the forest.

On the opposite wall from the entrance to the hall was a replica of the Lake, with Hogwarts sitting on a cliff at the left hand corner of the room. Harry cast one final charm to make the floor look like it was covered in grass, then decided that the room really looked complete. While everyone was admiring their handiwork in altering the appearance of the hall, Harry answered a knock on the Great hall doors.

Harry poked his head out the doors, and saw professor Dumbledore waiting for him. He quickly exited the hall, and addressed the headmaster. "Well, I think we are done. Would you like to see the theme for our dance?"

The headmaster held up a hand to stall Harry. "No thank you Harry. I much prefer to be surprised along with the rest of my staff. I just wanted to let you know that your band is here, and would like to set up before the dance. They are waiting in the antechamber off the great hall, I believe that you are familiar with it."

Harry excused himself and returned to the great hall. After swearing the decorators to secrecy he sent them all back to their respective dorms to get ready for the dance. When Harry was alone in the hall, he quickly opened the door the antechamber; the door was somewhat disturbingly located inside the illusionary replica of Hogwarts Castle.

The band that Harry had hired was standing around the antechamber, laughing and joking with each other. The Band's name was Friends Four Life, or F4L for short. They were a group of friends that had gotten together while they were at Hogwarts. Their name was drawn from the fact that they represented all four Hogwarts houses. While Harry had never heard of them before contacting them, they came highly recommended by Fred and George. The main reason that Harry had chosen them was that they were a jack-of-all-trades type band. The group had a few hits out on the WWN, but also played almost every type of music imaginable.

When the band members had entered the transformed great hall, they all stopped to stare in shocked silence. Finally one of the band members spoke up. "Wow, you did a number on this place. It looks realistic enough that I would almost swear I am a giant walking around the grounds."

With a grin Harry showed the band the stage he had set up for them. He walked over to the lake, but when he stepped out onto the lake, a tentacle from the giant squid shot out of the water, and supported his foot. As Harry walked around, the tentacles from the squid kept him hovering about a foot and a half above the surface of the water.

"Whoa, neat trick. How did you get the tentacles to do that, and if you move to quickly will you fall off?" One of the band members asked.

Harry laughed. "It's not as impressive as it looks. We laid the charm for the water, and then build an invisible stage on top of it. The squid tentacles are just an illusion. Really you are walking on a solid stage." Harry paused, "The drummer will look like he is sitting on the squid's head, I hope you like it. I just thought it would look sort of neat."

"Like it, we Love it." said the band member that Harry suspected, from the drumsticks sticking out of his robe, was the drummer.

Some of the band members were looking around the hall while the others set the band equipment up. Suddenly one off the members that was examining the Forbidden Forrest shouted, "Hey Harry, I think someone decided to play with your charms a bit. I swear I just saw a car drive out of the forest and look around before disappearing into the trees again."

"Actually that is suppose to be there. There really is a magical car that lives in the forbidden forest." Harry's reply drew the stares of most of the band members.

Finally the bandleader asked, "How did a car come to be in the Forrest? I don't remember one when I went to school here."

Harry blushed, "Well my friend and I sort of flew it to school, but it decided to go off on it's own, after we crashed it into the womping willow." This drew chuckles from most of the band members.

Harry left the band in the Great hall setting up, and went to Gryffindor tower to change. Even thought the Dance wasn't set to start until seven that night, under Colin's direction people had been signing up for free commemorative pictures. The list had gotten long enough that the Hall was going to be opened by five to accommodate everyone, and Harry wanted to be back down there well in advance of that.

Harry was glad that he had decided to go back down to the hall early, since he had almost forgotten about needing to set up a place for the refreshments. In the end, Harry used the Quidditch stands. After he had the food squared away, he briefed a small group of second years that had volunteered to help with the dance, and split them up into waiters and waitresses and ushers.

Setting up the food and the wait staff had reminded Harry that he had skipped both lunch and dinner, which were being provided in house common rooms. Luckily, Dobby was more than happy to bring Harry a meal. After Harry had sated his appetite, he sat down for a couple of moments of relaxation.

Harry didn't have long to relax. Soon Colin was ready to start taking pictures. They let the student's in, one couple at a time, and gave them the option of where they wanted their picture to be taken. Most chose to stand in front of the miniature Hogwarts. Slowly the hall started to fill up.

Harry had somehow missed the arrival of his best friends, but when he saw the way that his female friends looked he regretted, for the first time, his decision not to try to get a date for the dance. He noticed that Ron and Hermione were together, although they both swore that they were only together as friends. Harry didn't give them too hard a time, because he thought that they actually looked good together. Ginny had come with Dean, and both of them looked to be having a good time as well. Neville and Luna had both come to the dance by themselves, but had sort of migrated together since most of their friends were in the same place.

At six thirty, the Hogwarts staff all arrived. Evidently Dumbledore had taken the opportunity to sign them up for a group picture. Harry couldn't help but notice that not all of teachers looked exactly happy to be photographed. Sibyll Trelawney appeared especially uncomfortable in front of the camera.

Harry was still blushing from the compliments of Professor Dumbledore, and flitwick, when he saw Draco Malfoy approaching. He also noticed out of the corner of his eye that Professor Snape had stepped up close enough to overhear anything that was said between the two rivals. Malfoy's date was Pansy Parkinson, who was wearing a strangely cut light purple Dress Robe.

Draco Sneered at Harry, "I see you weren't able to get a date. How pathetic, you plan your own dance and still can't find anyone who wants to dance with you. What happened, your mudblood friends all suddenly have an attack of good tastes?"

Even if Professor Snape hadn't been standing nearby ready to pounce on anything Harry said, he wasn't really in the mood for a confrontation with Draco. Instead Harry decided to take a path that he had never taken with Draco before. "Well Draco, we can't all be as lucky as you."

Harry then turned to address Pansy, "Miss Parkinson, I don't believe I have ever seen you look as lovely as you do tonight." Harry had a hard time not adding on the 'not that that is saying much' that immediately leapt into his mind. Harry was completely shocked when Pansy did something she had never done before. She smiled at him. Harry noticed that this seemed to irritate Draco a great deal, and so decided to lay it on even thicker. "You know Pansy, seeing you tonight I almost envy Draco for the first time in my life. I hope you have an enjoyable dance."

Harry quickly turned and started to walk away from the stunned Slytherins. He was still close enough to hear Draco's angry comment to Pansy, "What were you doing smiling at him. He is a Gryffindor, and his mother was a muggleborn."

Harry grinned to himself as he heard Pansy answer, "Well at least he noticed me. You are my date, and you haven't said one nice thing to me about how I look tonight."

By the time Draco made a reply, Harry was too far away to make it out. Before he knew it, Ron was at his side, "Wow Harry, if I had known that being nice to the other Slytherins would piss Malfoy off that much I would have tried it years ago."

Hermione looked disgusted at Ron, "Ronald Weasly, that is not why you should be nice to people."

Harry grinned at Ron, "yeah, I cant' believe how mad he got. That was priceless, I wish Colin had been there with his camera."

Soon it was time to officially open the dance. Harry stepped onto the stage. When he had everyone's attention, he thanked everyone for coming to the dance, and introduced the entertainment for the night. He saw that Dumbledore wanted to say a few words as well, so Harry turned the stage over to the Headmaster.

The headmaster made a few comments about the extended curfew, and how it was not to be abused. He was just about to exit the stage when Professor Snape stepped up and whispered something in the Headmaster's ear. Dumbledore smiled broadly, "Ah, excellent suggestion." He turned back to the student's, "Professor Snape has just suggested, and I agree, that it would be nice as leader of the DA, for mister potter and his date to open the dance."

Harry's stomach dropped, and he felt more than a little ill. He could feel every eye in the hall turned towards him expectantly. Harry bowed slightly to the headmaster, and was barely able to keep the venom out of his voice. "As Professor Snape was already aware, I was unable to obtain a date for this function." Harry saw the disappointed look that the headmaster cast towards Snape. Harry continued, "But if you will give me a moment, I might be able to locate a dance partner."

Harry knew that he could probably count on any of his female friends to dance with him. He was about to approach Hermione as a safe choice when another thought hit him. It was actually the similarities between Professor McGonagall, and his dance teacher Madame Rispare, that caused him to think of it. Before Harry could change his mind, he turned and strode purposefully across the empty dance floor. He could feel everyone staring at him as he approached the gathered members of the staff.

Harry swept into the formal bow that Madame Rispare had insisted he start each formal dance with. He then smiled at a stunned Professor McGonagall, "Professor McGonagall, as head of Gryffindor and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, would you assist me in opening this dance to the students and faculty members?"

Professor McGonagall recovered from her surprise quickly and nodded politely to Harry, "It would be my honor to open the dance." She then held out her arm, and Harry escorted her to the middle of the dance floor. When they were in place he nodded to the band. The band immediately started into an up tempo waltz. The two chatted amicably, about Quidditch of all things, as they danced. As the dance was winding down, Harry maneuvered them so that they were close to where he Professor McGonagall's friends were.

As the last notes of the song rang out, Harry bowed deeply, "Thank you Professor, now I am off to find my next victim, I mean partner."

Harry pivoted and started across the floor. He once again could feel most of the eyes on him, as only a few couples had stepped out to dance. Harry headed towards a group of girls he didn't recognize, intent on meeting new people. Too late Harry realized his mistake. The reason that Harry didn't recognize the girls was that they were all Slytherins.

Harry was too close to change direction without being obvious. A voice in the back of his head was screaming 'oh crap', over and over again. When Harry stopped in front of the girls, he noticed one of them smile shyly at him. He took this for a good omen and bowed deeply to her, "Hello, my name is Harry, and I was wondering if I could have the pleasure of this dance?"

The girl blushed, and whispered, "I know who you are. I'm Zalena." She then stepped forward, and allowed Harry to lead her onto the dance floor. By the time that the song was over, most of the couples were on the dance floor. Harry was surprised that he had enjoyed dancing with the Slytherin girl as much as he had. She had started off the dance rather shyly, but soon the two of them were talking. She was a fifth year, which was another reason Harry hadn't seen her before. All in all, she wasn't at all like Harry's view of the typical Slytherin. It of course didn't hurt that she was quite attractive.

After Harry dropped her off with her friends he took a moment to almost forcefully remove the camera from Colin's hands. He reminded Collin that they had recruited some of the younger students to take pictures during the dance. Harry also reminded the excitable fifth year needed to dance with his date, a feat that was extremely difficult when you had a camera pressed up to your face. Colin's date, a mousy haired hufflepuff, smiled gratefully at Harry.

As Harry was walking away from Colin and his date he realized that outside of Gryffindor and the DA, he didn't know anyone that wasn't in his year. Actually he didn't know the names of the vast majority of Gryffindor's that shared his common room.

The majority of the dance went far smoother than Harry had anticipated. He had to stop a seventh year Ravenclaw from spiking the punch, and had been forced to threaten to shut down the miniature Quidditch game when he saw people taking bets on which team would win. Other than that and a few minor emergencies with making sure the wait staff and ushers were treated properly, Harry was able to enjoy most of his time. He did his best to dance with each of the female members of the DA.

During a short break from dancing, Ron shook his head at Harry, "Blimey mate, when I said that I would have been nicer to Slytherin to make Malfoy mad, I didn't mean that you should run over and ask one to dance with you."

Hermione looked at Harry, "Well I think it was a brilliant idea. What better way to prove that the DA is willing to accept members of all houses? Although I was surprised when you asked McGonagall to dance."

Ron broke in, "I was more surprised that you knew how to dance."

During the next song, Harry kidnapped Ginny, and led her onto the dance floor. As soon as the two of them were out of earshot of Ron and Hermione, Ginny told Harry in a deadly serious tone, "I know your secret mister Potter."

Harry's footsteps faltered, "What are you talking about?"

Ginny suddenly giggled, "I saw you. You had no idea those girls were Slytherins until you were to close to turn back."

"Busted," Harry said as he hung his head in mock shame.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Ginny grinned impishly. Oh, and in case you were wondering. Zalena has always seemed like a nice girl. She has always been friendly, although a little shy. Ginny's grin suddenly turned wicked, "And I don't think she is dating anyone right now. Of course, what would my brother say if you started hanging out with a Slytherin?"

Harry blushed at Ginny's comment but didn't say anything to her. He did, however, before the dance was finished, manage to get a second dance with the dark haired Slytherin Girl.

The dance was a huge success, and was still the main topic of conversation Sunday. Much to some of the staff members' distress, Dumbledore had insisted on leaving the lake in the Great hall for part of Sunday. He also reoriented the direction of the tables for the first part of the day. He did this so that the staff table would be on the stage.

The headmaster explained, "I have always wanted to dine on squid, but alas I can't stand the taste." As with so many other things that Dumbledore said, it was impossible for Harry to determine whether the old man was joking or not.

Sunday night couldn't come quickly enough for Harry, and his friends. Hermione had found a fusing spell that would transform the individual broken rocks of the ceiling into one unbroken mass. She claimed to also have an idea for a more convenient way into and out of the chamber, but wasn't ready to present it yet.

It wasn't long before Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Myrtle, were at the sealed door to the chamber. There was a small air vent above the door, which made Harry's plan easier. With only a moment's hesitation, Harry spoke in parseltongue, and the door opened. Inside the chamber, the Corpse of the basilisk seemed unaffected by the passage of years. Ron, Hermione and Myrtle, were all drawn towards the corpse in mute wonder. Harry and Ginny however were drawn towards a different part of the chamber.

While their friends were admiring the dead basilisk, Harry and Ginny both looked at the spot on the floor that they had both almost died in. All that remained to remind them of that awful event was some black ink stains on the floor. Eventually Harry shook himself out of his revelry, and he began to explore the chamber in more detail.

The chamber held surprisingly few secrets. Besides the section that Harry had already seen, there was a small office-like area with a bookcase that had been stripped of anything it might have once held. There was also the portion of the chamber that the Basilisk had lived in. This inner chamber had a couple of pipes leading away from it, but nothing large enough for a man to crawl through.

Harry was quite relieved, as he feared that he would find a passage out into the Forest from here. With no obvious way for the great snake to leave the chamber, Harry wondered how the snake had survived and grown. He decided that this would be a question to be solved another day.

Harry finally decided that it was time to break down and tell his friends the plan that he had for the chamber. He called them all over, including Myrtle. When they had all gathered around he started. "You have probably all wondered why we are down here. It is true that I wanted to exercise the demons of my past, and make sure that no one could enter the castle from this location. These however are not my main reasons for wanting to revisit the chamber. I have thought about it for a while now, and if we are going to protect Hogwarts, we have to know where the threats are coming from." Harry looked at his friends and saw that he had their complete attention.

"We are the official/unofficial intelligence division of the DA." Harry pulled out an extendable ear from his pocket. "I don't think Fred and George know how powerful these can really be. I have been experimenting with them, and they seem to be able to stretch almost indefinitely. This is where your help becomes invaluable Myrtle." Harry looked at the ghost intently for a moment. "You know the pipes and plumbing of Hogwarts better than anyone. If you are willing, I would like you to position the end of this extendable ear where it can overhear the staff lounge. Is that a problem?"

Myrtle smiled happily at being needed, and talked to. "Oh no. Now that I know where this is, I can get down to the tunnel anytime I want. The only thing I can't do is enter the chamber if the door if it is closed."

Harry had suspected that the chamber was warded against ghosts. To his surprise, myrtle grabbed the end of the extendable ear and took off. She easily threaded ithe fleshy string through the air vent before she took off up the tunnel with it. She was only gone a few minutes before returning. "Ok, it should be able to hear the staff room now. There are only a couple of teacher in it rirght now though."

Hermione looked completely scandalized, "Harry, you can't spy on the teachers."

Harry looked grimly at Hermione. "Not only do I plan on spying on the teachers lounge, but on every common room, and office, including the Headmasters. I will also spy on any other location where I think people will discuss secrets vital to the safety of Hogwarts."

Hermione still looked upset, so Harry continued. "Hermione, the reason that we are doing this in the chamber is because I understand how dangerous it is. We will not use the information we learn to cheat on tests, or prank Slytherin, or even avoid normal harmless pranks pulled on us. But we do need to be able to protect ourselves, as well as the rest of the school. I will not stand back and wait for people to tell me what they think I need to know anymore. Knowledge is power, and we need to be the most informed students in the school."

Ron broke in before Harry's rant could build up too much momentum. "Um mate, I don't have a problem with spying on everyone, but how are we going to listen to all of these conversations at the same time?"

Hermione looked smugly at Harry, who grinned at Ron, "I am glad you asked Ron. I had almost forgot." Harry pulled one of the Total Transcribers from his pocket and attached the listening end of the extendable ear to the quill. The magical quill quivered for a few moments before settling down. When it had stopped shaking, Harry pulled out a roll of parchment, and activated the quill.

Instantly the quill started to write on the parchment in small neat handwriting. As the quill wrote, Harry was pleased to see that not only did it record what was being said, but who was saying it, as well as the time it was said at. The conversation going on in the teachers lounge didn't appear to have anything to do with danger to the school, so Harry didn't pay too much attention to it. Instead, he looked at his friends who were starring at him in shock.

Finally Hermione took a deep breath. "I don't like It Harry, but I will go along with it for now." She suddenly smiled, "Something like this would have prevented the Polyjuice potion disaster in second year."

They spent the rest of the night, expending Harry's collection of Extendable ears. In the morning Harry placed an order for more ears, as well as asking Fred and George to buy a bunch more magical Quills.

As it turned out the sixth year students didn't have to wait long to find out what the new Defense teacher was like. The first period on Monday was DADA. Harry was surprised to find that the majority of the class was made up of members from the DA. Professor McKinnon entered the room just seconds before the lesson was to begin.

She took a quick look around the room, "Ok everyone put your books, and your wands away. Today will be a discussion day. In the future, I will assign you to read a section of your book before each class. I expect you to show up to class having read the assignment, and ready to discuss anything you didn't understand. This class will focus around intelligent discussion of the presented material, and practical work. I expect that you are all capable of reading by the time you get here so I will not be reading to you. Likewise my time is too valuable, and I have too much to teach you to have you waste your time reading in my class." As Professor McKinnon was talking she was also busy handing out a detailed syllabus that contained the reading assignments for the rest of the year.

By the time she was done talking everyone had put their books and wands away, although most of them kept material on their desks to take notes with. When Professor McKinnon saw that everyone was ready to continue she asked, "What are the dark arts? This class is suppose to teach you how to defend against them, but have you ever stopped to think about what they are?"

Some of the hands in the room went up, and professor McKinnon randomly called on one of the Hufflepuff's in the class. "Dark arts are the dark spells performed by evil wizards."

Professor McKinnon looked at the class, "Interesting definition. My next question then is what is a dark spell?"

This time she called on Hermione, "A dark spell is a spell that has been classified as restricted or dangerous by the Ministry of Magic."

Professor McKinnon smiled, "That is what the idiots at the ministry of magic want you to think. I am going to tell you that with only a very few exceptions, I do not believe in dark spells, dark magic, or even the dark arts." Stunned silence greeted her statement. She continued, "Rather than believing that spells are evil, or good, I believe that the intent of the spell caster is what determines the nature of the spell. The dark lord stunning you is probably going to end quite badly, and is easily as dangerous as any other spell that could be used on you. But of course, the stunning spell is not considered dark."

After a few moments Hermione raised her hand again. "But surely you agree that the unforgivable curses are evil, and therefore fall under the common definition of Dark."

"Would everyone agree with Miss Grainger?" Professor McKinnon saw the nods of most of the class. "Well I don't. Or more specifically I only agree that one of the three unforgivable Curses are innately evil. Does anyone want to hazard a guess as to which spell I believe is inherently evil?"

Every hand in the class shot up. Terry Boot smugly answered, "The Killing curse."

Professor McKinnon shook her head. "I have personally cast the killing curse multiple times, and have used it to save countless lives. The killing curse is just a tool. Evil witches and wizards sometimes have to be killed to be stopped, and the Killing curse is an effective way of doing it. Before we continue with our discussion, does anyone know why the killing curse is unforgivable?"

Without waiting to raise his hand, Terry blurted out, "Because it kills."

Professor McKinnon laughed, "Lots of spells kill, almost all of the fatal ones are more painful and horrible to watch then what we refer to as the killing curse. No the reason it is classed as unforgivable is because we don't know how to block it. The ministry is afraid of too many people learning how to cast it, and set the price for using it high enough to dissuade most wizards from practicing it, and it is a curse that requires a bit of practice to use."

Harry was surprised to see Ron raise his hand, "Professor, why is it that we can't block the killing curse?"

The professor smiled happily, "That is actually a good question. Let me see if you can answer it for yourself. Since normal shields don't block it, you have to come up with something new. Suppose you have spent all of the time and effort to invent a spell that you think will block the killing curse, how do you test it?"

Ron's eyes suddenly went wide; "You would have to have someone cast the curse at you."

"Exactly, or teach your spell to someone else and cast the Killing curse at them. Since most spells don't work the first time, this makes experimenting with a counter to the killing curse something that would be rather costly in the form of human life. Now back to the previous question, which of the unforgivable's do I think is innately evil. You have a fifty-fifty chance this time."

Neville answered this time, "The Cruciatus curse."

The professor looked sympathetically at Neville, "I understand why you would think that. And I agree that it does come close. It is a truly nasty spell, and you have to be a sick person to make it work properly. I myself have never used it, nor have I been in a position where I feel it would have been beneficial. I have however heard of it being used for good in the past. I will discuss this later if you want. While I don't think that the spell itself is necessarily evil, I do think that anyone who can cast it should be watched extremely closely."

Professor McKinnon looked around the room, "Well, I guess that only leaves one of the unforgivable's left doesn't it. The Imperius curse is one of the few curses that I honestly believe is pure evil, and cannot be used for anything but evil."

Hanna raised her hand, "But professor, I have always thought that the Imperious curs was the least dangerous of the unforgivables, why do you think it is so horrible?"

The professor let out a long sigh, "The one thing that raises us above the common animals is our ability to think for ourselves. Our ability to make choices is probably the greatest gift that we have as human beings. The Imperious curse takes away that ability. It removes your free will from you, and subjugates you in the vilest way to someone else. Under the curse you have no control of your actions, but you are still aware of them. I personally would far rather be dead than suffer that form of mental rape."

The rest of the class was spent discussing the professor's view of dark magic. The last thing that she said to the students before she dismissed the class was, "Remember, I don't want you to blindly accept what I tell you as the truth. It is vital for you to understand my opinions on magic if you are going to be in my class. However, I would like you to each draw your own conclusions. You may disagree with me, but try not to disturb my class with your disagreements. I will do my best to teach you how to defend yourself, but if I find that any of you have decided to serve the dark lord, I will kill you myself. I will not have my knowledge perverted to cause pain and suffering among innocent people." She added as an afterthought, "Oh, and have a nice day."

The rest of the day passed in a fairly normal fashion, with lots of schoolwork being assigned by the teachers. Harry and Ron were however looking forward to Tuesday with immense anticipation. Not only were they planning on starting their study of potions, without having to deal with Snape, but also Tuesday was to be their first Runes class. The two boys couldn't wait to see Hermione's face when they showed up in her class.

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Sorry it took a while for me to get this one up. Life sort of caught up to me, and I wasn't able to spend much time on Thursday or Friday writing. Most of this chapter was written in quick ten minute intervals. Unfortunately when I write in short bursts, I feel that my writing suffers from a lack of natural flow. So I apologize if this chapter is a little disjointed.

_While there will be a small romance between Harry and Zalena, the reason for this is not to introduce a new character. It is because I believe that the most likely way to change a sixteen-year-old boys mind about a group of people is with an attractive girl. I thought that a small romance would be a good way to cause Harry to start looking at Slytherins as people, not as carbon copies of Snape and Malfoy. I intentionally made Zalena shy so that she will not try to insinuate herself into Harry's core group of friends, and as such won't be going on adventures with them. I just wanted to point this out before you all started screaming Mary Sue at me._

_For the fans of Snape, this is probably the last major Snape bashing for a while. I am not a fan of the character myself, but I believe that both he and Harry would benefit greatly from not having to deal with each other as frequently._

_And thanks for the reviews. I truly appreciate them. You reviewers are wonderful_.


	9. Chapter 9 Revelations

I do not own Harry Potter; at least I don't think I do.

**Revelations**

They couldn't find it. No matter how hard they searched, Harry and Ron were unable to find information on some of the key aspects of potions theory. Actually they had only been looking for a couple of hours, but it was a rather frustrating couple of hours. There were entire sections of the library dedicated to properties of potions ingredients. However, in two hours of concentrated research, they hadn't found a single reference to how you determined what ratios and quantities to use.

They had expected that it would take them a great deal of time and study to fully grasp this aspect of potions. Neither Ron nor Harry had thought that they would be unable to find the information to study though. They knew that the information must be available. After all, it didn't make sense that people just randomly threw the ingredients together in varying amounts until they worked. It was with a great deal of frustration that the two boys packed up their study aids and headed off for Runes class.

Hermione was already in the classroom when Harry and Ron entered quietly from the rear. The two boys shared a conspiratorial look between them before dropping into chairs on either side of their friend.

"Excuse me, is this chair taken?" Harry asked Hermione as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be in the class with her.

Hermione looked up at Harry with an expression of shock, "What are you doing here? This is the Newt-level ancient runes class." Her voice came out in a harsh whisper.

While Hermione was looking at Harry, Ron had slid into the chair on the other side of her, "Yeah Harry, what are you doing here? Don't you know that this is the ancient runes class?"

Hermione whipped around so quickly that her hair fanned out from her head. "Ron, you two shouldn't be in here, class is about to start."

Before Hermione could say anything else she was interrupted by Professor Babbling entering the room. "Ah, I see that everyone is here. As some of you have no doubt noticed we have some new additions to our class. Mister Potter, and Mister Weasley decided to study runes independently. Their test results were both easily high enough to be admitted into my class. I hope you will all do your best to make them feel welcome."

When the class was over, Hermione practically attacked Ron and Harry with joy. "When did you two have time to do an independent study? Why didn't you tell me what you were doing, I could have helped."

Ron supplied the answer as the trio walked, "We just started this summer. We didn't think that it was fair to ask you for help on this, you do too much for us anyways."

Hermione's joy was suddenly replaced by a look of immense irritation. Harry thought that he could almost see his friend's mind drawing the proper conclusions. "That means that you two knew about the Dreamless Draught all summer. That is the only way you could have learned runes, and done your Occlumency. Where you even planning on telling me about the potion this year?"

Harry held up his hand in a placating gesture, "Hermione, we always planned on sharing the Draught with you. We just thought that you deserved a normal summer. If you had taken the potion, you would have spent all the time you saved from sleeping studying."

Hermione bristled, "Well, what's wrong with that?"

"Hermione, everyone needs time to relax. The only time you relax is when you are sleeping; I didn't want to take that away from you. Besides, your parents were worried enough about you pushing yourself as it is."

Hermione was interrupted before she could make a retort. Ron, in a sudden change of topic asked, "So are you willing to partner with Harry and I on the sixth year runes project that professor Babbling talked about today."

The young witch let out an exasperated huff, before smiling. "Of course I am going to partner with you two." She suddenly had an evil looking grin on her place, "But now that I know you are capable of doing the rune's work on your own, I expect you to handle your share of the workload for the project. You can start by coming up with a topic for us to research."

Harry grinned, "We already have one. We were hoping to look at the relationship between runes and wand movement, and how a knowledge of this can be used to improve the power of spells."

For the first time in their school life, Hermione looked completely bewildered about a school topic. "What are you talking about?"

Ron stuttered, "Y'y'you mean you don't know?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't know." Hermione exclaimed with more than a little exasperation.

Harry and Ron quickly dragged their friend into an unused classroom, and explained about Ron's discovery. It took a while to convince Hermione that they were right. However, by the time that they were done explaining their experiments in the tunnel outside of the chamber of secrets, Hermione was already planning out the path for their project. Ron was practically glowing with the knowledge that he had figured something out that Hermione didn't know. Harry was once again surprised to see that his best friend tried not to gloat too much about his discovery.

Ron and Harry also took the time to explain their independent study of potions to Hermione. Harry was surprised that Hermione agreed it was best that he didn't take potions with Snape. She had been genuinely interested in their plan for their study, and had made a deal with her two friends. She agreed to provide them with notes from Snape's potions class, if they would keep her up to date on any discoveries they made in their study.

The rest of their classes went by in a normal fashion. Hagrid was especially happy to have them all back in his Care of Magical Creatures class. Harry was surprised to see Crabbe and Goyle in the class, especially since Malfoy was not. Later on Hagrid confided in Harry that the two large Slytherins had just barely passed enough classes to remain in school, and hadn't had a choice about taking his class.

Hagrid had also been more than delighted to tell Harry and his friends about all of the animals he had arranged for them to study during the year. By the time he was done going over the list, Harry was beginning to wonder if he should even bother preparing for Voldemort, or if he should just accept that he wasn't going to survive Hagrid's class.

Before things had time to settle into a routine Harry had an interesting distraction from Luna Lovegood. During breakfast, shortly after morning post, Luna had gotten up and left the great hall in a very agitated manner. Because Luna normally was able to react to just about anything without become upset, Harry immediately abandoned his breakfast to see what was wrong.

To Harry's surprise, Hermione followed him from the great hall. They found Luna sitting on the staircase nearly in tears. Harry approached his friend and asked, "Luna, what happened?"

Luna looked up, her large eyes glistening with moister, "The stupid minister of magic wouldn't know a Crumple-Horned Snorkack if it bit him on the nose, and he definitely doesn't know what good journalism is."

"Luna, did the minister do something to your father?" Harry asked with as much concern as he could muster.

Luna sniffled, "Dad wanted to help with the war, so he ran a article asking for his readers to send in any information about Death Eater activity. The readers of the Quibbler responded wonderfully, but the minister of magic laughed at my dad when he tried to give him the letters. That stupid idiot Fudge said he didn't trust the judgment of anyone stupid enough to read our paper."

Secretly Harry agreed with the minister that most of the readers of the Quibbler were a little on the nutty side. So he was completely shocked when Hermione asked, "Do you think you father would be willing to send those letters here to Hogwarts? We could look through them and pass on any important information."

"I think daddy would do that." Luna looked happy about the prospect at first. Her features suddenly turned slightly suspicious. "You are not just saying that are you? You will really read the letters?"

Hermione nodded resolutely, "It is stupid to turn down any information that might help us win the war."

Luna jumped up, "I will go write to daddy immediately."

As soon as she was out of earshot, Harry turned to Hermione, "What are you doing?" He didn't even try to keep the shock and surprise out of his voice.

"Look, Harry, I know that most of the letters will be people suspecting neighbors, or various famous and or dead people. But some of them will be legitimate. This is the type of thing the Ministry should already be doing. The Aurors can't be everywhere, and neither can the Order. We shouldn't turn our backs on the common witches and wizards that are everywhere." Hermione had quickly switched into lecture mode.

Harry interrupted her before she could get too carried away. "But how are we suppose to tell the difference between the loonies and the legitimate Death Eater sightings?"

Hermione looked at Harry as if the answer to his question was the most obvious one in the world. "We look for patterns of course. If multiple people are saying the same thing, then it makes it more likely to be true. If enough of them are saying the same thing, then it is at least worth looking into."

"And when are we going to read all these letters Hermione?"

"At night, in the chamber of course. Although, if we get too many sources of information, we might need to look for someone else to recruit to help us."

Harry was shocked at the size of the package that Luna dropped off at Harry's table the following day. Hermione however seemed completely undaunted. That night in the chamber Hermione showed Ron and Harry some sorting spells she had been working on. She created a list of all known Death Eaters, and cast a charm that sorted out all of the letters that mentioned one of the known Death Eaters, or Voldemort, by name.

Hermione explained that this pile was the first priority. After she had read through each of those letters, and made notes, she quickly scanned the remaining letters, and sorted them into two piles. The largest of the piles was the 'highly unlikely' pile. The second pile was what Hermione had termed her 'quite possible' pile.

While Hermione was looking at Luna's Letters, Harry and Ron spent their time sorting through all of the recorded conversations from around the castle. After the first couple of nights, they had decided to follow Hermione's example. They created a list of all the words that they could think of that related to possible danger for the school, or Death Eater activities. They then used a highlighting spell that Hermione had taught them for their OWL use the year before.

Ginny spent most of her time in the chamber helping Hermione. Hermione had so far been unable to solve the problem of transportation back up the tunnel. She claimed that she was getting closer, and spent at least two hours a night secretly working on that project. Harry felt guilty for not helping her more, but he actually liked the slide down the tunnel, as well as the broom ride back up it.

One night while working in the chamber, Harry happened to glance at the marauder's Map, which he normally kept open. What Harry saw on the map caused him to leap up and grab his broom. Without so much as a word to his friends, Harry took off flying at break neck speeds towards the pipe that led back to Myrtle's bathroom. Instead of the normal slow leisurely flight up the pipe, Harry took the opening at close to the Firebolt's top speed.

Harry's speed was so great, that his lit wand did little to help him navigate the winding pipe. Instead he flew by a combination of memory, and blind instinct. When Harry flew into Myrtles bathroom, he dropped off his broom and raced to the door. With the broom in his right and, and the map clutched in his left, Harry kicked open the bathroom door. He remounted his broom, and raced after the small dot labeled Pettigrew.

Harry entered the darkened classroom at a speed that no sane person would ever attempt while flying inside. His seeker-trained eyes instantly spotted the glint off of the rats silver paw. Wormtail must have spotted Harry at almost the same time, because he turned and ran full tilt towards a small hole in the wall. As Harry bolted across the room, he fired off curse after curse at the fleeing rat, but was unable to strike his tiny target.

Harry screamed one last curse at the rat as it disappeared through the hole in the wall. Harry wasted a few precious moments trying to bring the interior wall of the castle down. In a near panic, Harry looked down at the map and quickly found the fleeing form of Peter. The rat must have known every hole and tunnel in the castle, for he was already one floor down, and moving rapidly towards the entry hall.

Harry let out a curse that had nothing to do with magic, and flew back into the hallway. He raced towards the grand staircase, and flew down between the stairs. It seemed as if the castle itself was trying to slow him down, as he had to dodge a couple of moving staircases on his way down. When he reached the ground floor he pulled out of his vertical dive bare inches from the unforgiving stone floor.

Harry had to pause in his flight to open the main doors of Hogwarts, all too aware of the fact that Pettigrew was already outside. Harry looked at the map, and saw that Peter was headed towards the relative safety of the Forbidden Forest. Harry tore after him on his broom, pushing it to new speeds. Harry's speed allowed him to quickly eat the distance between himself and his quarry.

Unfortunately no matter how fast Harry was able to fly, Pettigrew's lead was just too much. The little rat dropped off of the map just seconds before Harry reached the boundary of his map. Harry forced himself to stop. He glared at the forest. He had been so close to catching the traitor. Even though he knew that he would have no chance of finding the rat in the forest, a large part of him still wanted to charge into the darkness.

Harry leaned back his head, and let out a primal scream of anger and frustration. He was more than a little shocked when something in the forest screamed back in the same manner. Harry slowly backed out of the forest, and headed back to the castle. Harry was lucky enough to somehow avoid any patrol's as he made his way disconsolately back to the chamber to explain to his friends what had happened.

After he had explained everything to his friends, Harry made his to the Headmasters office. After a few failed tries to guess the password, he decided to try the obvious password of "Sherbet Lemon". The Gargoyle opened up revealing the staircase to the Headmasters office. When Harry reached the office he knocked firmly on the door, and waited for just a couple of moments.

In no time at all Dumbledore had ushered Harry into the office, and asked him what was wrong. Without any preamble, Harry told Dumbledore of Pettigrew's presence in the castle, and his escape into the Forrest. Harry decided to leave out the fact that he had given chase to the rat, and instead excused himself as soon as he had delivered his message, and returned to Gryffindor tower, just in case Dumbledore sent someone to check up on him.

A couple of days later, Harry had a few moments of free time on his hands, and decided to go for a walk by himself. He was wondering the halls of the castle aimlessly, when he say a small group of Slytherins heading out the main doors. Normally Harry wouldn't have paid any attention to the Slytherins, but he couldn't help but notice that one of them was Zalena. Harry remembered how much he had enjoyed dancing with the fifth year Slytherin, and made a spur of the moment decision to follow her.

He followed the small group of Slytherins out of the castle, and tentatively approached them. "Um Hi. I was just wondering if you enjoyed the dance?" As soon as Harry said the words, he felt like an imbecile. He wished that he could turn back time, and think of something suave or debonair to say.

Zalena bit her bottom lip, and blushed furiously. Before she could answer though, one of her friends spoke up for her. "Oh, she enjoyed the dance. She especially enjoyed two of the dances. Actually she hasn't stopped talking about them. What was the name of that boy she was dancing with?"

One of her other friends immediately jumped in, "Oh, I think it was Garry, or Barry, or something like that. No wait, I remember now, it has been Harry this and Harry that since the beginning of term."

Zalena looked completely mortified. She gave a friendly shove to the girl that was talking. One of the boys in the group interrupted the conversation, "Don't mind Sherrie, I think she was hit with a babbling curse earlier today." The boy stuck out his hand towards Harry, "I'm Conlaugh Travers by the way. You already know Zalena, the other girls are Sherrie, Amanda, and Persephone, and the bloke over there is Jacob."

Harry shook the boy's proffered hand, as he quickly connected names with faces. "Thanks Conlaugh." Something about the boy was tickling the back of Harry's mind, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Conlaugh sighed heavily, "You're trying to figure out where you have heard my name from I expect. My dad was a Death Eater during the first war. He died a couple of years ago in Azcaban."

Harry was so stunned by the information that his mind wasn't quite functioning. He said the first thing that popped into his mind. "I'm sorry about your loss."

Conlaugh laughed bitterly, "I lost my dad before I was even born." He looked at Harry, "Before you ask. No, I am not interested in following my father's footsteps. I hate you-know-who probably as much as anyone. I don't know why anyone would follow him. All you get is tortured anytime the bastard isn't happy. He threatens to kill you if you don't do what he wants, and if you do what he wants, then he leaves you to rot in prison."

The boy looked at Harry defiantly, "The only thing worse that Voldemort, is the bloody ministry. Why did people like my dad go to prison, when people like Malfoy's dad didn't?" He suddenly hung his head, "My dad deserved prison, I've read about the stuff he did." His eyes suddenly flashed dangerously, "But it wasn't justice that the ministry was after. Justice doesn't care if you have enough money to pay off the minister. If they cared about Justice, all of the Death Eaters would be in prison."

The young boy looked defiantly at Harry, "I hope that you, or someone like you kills you-know-who for good this time. But I wouldn't be too depressed if he levels the Ministry of Magic before you take him out."

A slow grin started to spread itself over Harry's face; "I can't disagree with you too much there. Although there are a couple of good people in the ministry, they just don't seem to have any real power." Harry suddenly switched Gears, "So are you coming to the DA meeting later this week?"

The Slytherins were starring at Harry in shocked surprise now. Finally Conlaugh asked, "Are you sure that Slytherins are welcome, especially the son of a Death Eater?"

"The class part of the DA is open to anyone fifth year and above that wants to learn defense." Harry suddenly added, "If you are really what you seem to be, I would be more than happy to have you as a DA knight next year as well."

Harry wasn't sure how it happened exactly, but before long he and Zalena were alone. The two walked hand in hand and talked quietly for almost an hour before they decided to head back to the castle.

Later that day, Harry told his friends about what had happened. Ron was visibly upset about his best friend hanging out with Slytherins, but was able to be calmed down slightly by his sister and Hermione. Neither of the girls seemed entirely pleased with Harry either, but they were at least willing to give the Slytherins a chance to prove themselves. Ron grudgingly agreed that he wouldn't say anything rude to them, but claimed that he wasn't going to become their friend either.

Harry was surprised to find two letters in his room one afternoon. Neither of the letters was from someone that Harry had expected to hear from. The first of the two letters was from Victor Krum. It was short, and to the point.

_Dear Harry_

_I have wished to prove to the world that students of Durmstang are not all dark wizards. I, and a group of my fellow Durmstang graduates, have approached the ministry of Magic to offer our support in the war. We were turned away. I do not wish to serve Dumbledore, not that I don't trust him, but he is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and Hogwarts will get the credit for anything done in his name. We will therefore go our own way, and try to fight as best we can. I know that you will be involved in the fight against the Dark Lord. I and the son's and daughters of Durmstang stand ready to assist you if you ever need us._

_Victor Krum._

Harry was stunned at the letter. Even though Hermione had told him that he needed to become the visible leader of the war, he still wasn't use to people offering him their help. He was troubled by the thought that he didn't know Victors friends, and wasn't sure he could trust them. He was even more disturbed by the realization that people he had never met before had just offered to fight and die alongside of him.

The second letter was from Percy Weasley. It was however as unlike Percy as any letter could have been. The letter contained hints of the pompous writing style that Harry associated with Ron's Brother. It was however lacking the arrogance that was normally present. The penmanship itself was changed, somehow bolder, and less neat and tidy.

_Harry_

_I made a mistake, I don't know if my family will ever forgive me. I want to prove that I am opposed to V's return. I have quit the Ministry, and will dedicate my life to correcting the wrongs I have done. I can't even begin to see how to bridge the gap with my family. In apology for my earlier abandonment of you, I pledge my loyalty to you and your fight. If you are willing to accept my help I will serve you even more tirelessly than I served the Ministry._

_Percy_

Harry decided that he needed to find out what was happening with Percy before he would be able to respond to this letter. He quickly wrote a short letter to Victor, thanking him for his support, and warning him that he would probably take him up on his offer sometime in the future.

After Harry had sent the letter of with Hedwig, he sought out Ron. "Ron, I was wondering. What ever happened to Percy?"

The tips of Ron's ears went pale, a sure sign of his anger, "Why do you care about that bloody prat?"

"I was just curious, I hadn't heard anything about him in a while. I was wondering if he is still causing problems for you and your family." Harry quickly tried to supply an excuse that he thought would make sense to Ron.

Ron shrugged, "I don't know what is up with him, and I really couldn't care less." After a brief pause Ron continued, "Dad saw him about the start of summer. He said that the great git looked lost. Percy told my dad something about not knowing what to believe in anymore, then walked off. Dad found out later that Percy had just quit the Ministry. He didn't even bother to clear out his desk. Just told Fudge he was done, and walked out. No one has heard anything from him since then. Serves the Stupid prat right you know. He finally realized that he was wrong, but still wasn't man enough to apologize. I hope he is starving to death in some back alley in muggle London."

After Talking with Ron, Harry still wasn't sure what to make of Percy's letter. He sent a noncommittal letter back to the Weasley outcast, and then pushed thoughts of Percy into the back of his mind. He suspected that he would have to deal with Percy sometime in the future, but just didn't' want to expend the effort at the moment.

The first day for the fifth year DA students was rapidly approaching. In preparation for the upcoming meeting Harry had asked to speak to the heads of the Hogwarts houses. He looked around at Professors McGonagall, Flittwick, Sprout, and Snape. After Making eye contact with each of the professors' Harry launched straight into his presentation.

"Professors, I would appreciate your help. The DA is about to start its open classes for all fifth year and above students. I would appreciate it if you encouraged your houses to participate. The area I need the most assistance from you in though is in recruiting fourth year students. We have decided to include a male and female fourth year student from each house if possible. These students would be responsible for the instruction of their peers during their seventh year. We are not exactly looking for the best students. We are looking for students who are going to be able to mix and work with older students, but also will be able to instruct their peers. The current members of the DA will be providing recommendations. Their recommendations along with yours will determine which fourth year students are invited into the group. It will of course be the students themselves who decide whether or not to accept this invitation."

Harry turned to look directly at Professor Snape. The sight of the Potion's master still made Harry want to attack in mindless rage, but he forced down his hatred for the good of the organization he was trying to form. "Professor Snape, your input will be especially helpful, as we unfortunately do not currently have any members of your house in our group. Because of this lack, we don't know the fourth year Slytherins well enough to judge which ones would be good prospects for the DA."

Snape sneered at Harry, "And what if I don't think that any of my students should be involved in your little club, Potter?"

Harry bristled with furry, "This isn't my club, Professor. This is a permanent addendum to the school, which will be here long after I am gone and forgotten. The Slytherins are already underrepresented due to the events of last year. If you wait until after I am gone before your house enters the DA, I fear that the precedent will be too firmly entrenched. Would you deprive Slytherins of glory for the next century, just because of your dislike for me?"

Snape leaned back in his chair, "Fine Potter, I will give you some names. But if I hear of you mistreating my students the Headmaster will not be able to protect you."

"I will hold every member of the DA to the same standard. Anyone from any house is welcome, but I will not allow disturbances from anyone of any house."

The first meeting of the new DA students contained a rather large surprise for Harry. It appeared as if almost the entire fifth year of Hogwarts had showed up. There were also quite a few sixth and Seventh year's that Harry didn't recognize. Harry looked at the gathered students and realized he was going to have to change his plans.

Harry stood up and addressed the assembled group. "I would like to welcome you all out to the first meeting of the DA. Today we will just be going over the nature of the DA lessons, and I will answer whatever questions you have about the DA. It looks like there is a larger group than I expected. If you all decide to stay in the D.A.," Harry paused and looked around the room, "And I hope you do, we will need to split into smaller groups. This is because one of the main focuses of this organization is practical training in Defense, and it would be hard to give you the individual attention you deserve in this large of a group. Having said that, I think it is important for us to view ourselves as one unit, so we will continue to occasionally have meetings with the entire group involved."

After Harry's introduction he spent a few minutes explaining what would be taught to the DA members throughout the year. He also introduced the group to the returning DA members who had volunteered to help with the instruction. He answered as many questions as he could that related directly to the D.A., and even answered questions about his personal experiences with Death Eaters, and Voldemort. Harry carefully sidestepped any questions that he did not feel related directly to their defense activities.

At the end of the meeting he handed out books to everyone who didn't have one, and once again promised refunds to anyone who had already purchased a copy. He also tentatively set up a schedule for the group to split into three smaller training groups. Before Harry disbanded the group for the evening he decided to give them a little show to spark their interest in the organization.

"Ok, I know that we haven't done any practical work today, and some of you may be feeling a little cheated. I thought that you might be interested in seeing one of the more useful spells that you will be learning this year." Harry had hardly let the words out of his mouth before he had his wand in hand, and shouted "Expecto Patronum." The familiar form of Prongs leapt from Harry's wand. Harry looked around the room as everyone stared in rapture at the large silver stag before them. "That is the Patronus spell, it is useful in defending yourself from Dementors, and Lethifolds. I have heard it claimed that the Patronus spell is above NEWT level, and that some fully qualified witches and wizards can't cast it. I was taught to cast that spell in my third year, and am supremely confident that everyone in this room can learn to cast it as well."

Harry had the attention of every student in the room, "In the DA we don't worry about what supposed level a spell is, we look at how useful it could be, and then how to learn it. You will perfect spells in this class that any first year could perform with little effort, you will also learn spells that many adults don't know because they have been told they are too difficult to learn. As far as I am concerned the only limitation to what we can learn, is the effort we put into learning. Last year we had a second year student who attended the underground DA meetings, and he learned all of these spells. Not because he is a genius or a prodigy, but because he was determined to give it his best shot. If you do the same, there is no limit to what you can accomplish."

Harry noticed a few students waiting off to the side, as the majority of the group left the room. Harry approached to see what was going on, and was surprised to see that the small group was Zalena, and some of her Slytherin friends.

Conlaugh, who seemed to be the most talkative of the group, extended his hand to Harry, "Even after meeting you I was a little skeptical about coming here, but it sounds like this will be a really good organization. I can't wait to learn that Patronus thing, I have always hated Dementors."

Harry Shook the proffered hand "Thanks for coming out. I see that Slytherin is still a little underrepresented, but with the house rivalry's I guess that is a to be expected. Hopefully you can spread the word that you guy's are really welcome here."

Zalena stepped forward after Harry had released Conlaugh's hand, "Thanks for inviting us Harry." The young girl blushed red, then suddenly stood up on her tiptoes, and have Harry a quick peck of a kiss on his cheek. Harry hadn't even had time to react, when Zalena, followed by her friends, turned and fled the room.

Harry was still reeling from the unexpected kiss, when Ron cuffed him a little too hard on the back of the head, "Gee Harry first Cho, now that Slytherin bird, you plan on making a habit of girls kissing you after every lesson?"

Harry rubbed the back of his head slightly as he looked at Ron, "Of course I am. Isn't that why you agreed to help teach, so you could get a couple kisses yourself?"

Ron narrowed his eyes slightly, "Well I wouldn't be kissing the Slytherin girls."

Harry put his arm around Ron's shoulders, "Ok Ron, it's a deal, I get the Slytherin girls, you kiss the Slytherin boys"

Ron angrily shoved Harry away from him, "That wasn't what I meant." Suddenly Ron shrugged, "I'm sorry mate, it is just, well Slytherins, you know I've never liked Slytherins."

Harry turned to his friend, "Look Ron, I know that a lot of the Slytherins are jerks, but that doesn't mean all of them are. Voldemort has followers from every house. They didn't chose their house, the sorting hat did. If we hate them for something they didn't choose, we aren't any better then people like Malfoy how hate muggleborn's for something they didn't chose. Look, just give them a chance. You might be surprised at some of them."

Ron didn't look entirely convinced, "But don't you have to be evil for the sorting house to put you in Slytherin?"

Harry closed his eyes briefly, "Ron, am I evil?"

"Of course not mate." Ron snorted.

"Ron, if I hadn't met you, and Malfoy, I would be in Slytherin. That is where the Hat wanted to put me initially. I didn't want to be in the same house as Malfoy, and because of what you said I didn't wanted to be in the same house as you and your family. Even with that, it was difficult to convince the sorting hat not to put me in Slytherin."

Ron looked completely shocked, "Blimey Harry, I didn't know." He looked contemplative for a few minutes, "Alright Harry, I will try, but I'm not making any promises mate. I still might not like any of the Slytherins, but if they behave themselves I will try to do the same."

Harry decided that that was probably the best he would get out of his friend. Harry knew that it was difficult overcoming a lifetime of prejudice, and was proud that Ron was willing to at least make a small effort on his behalf.

Only a few days after the first DA meeting, Hermione was practically bouncing up and down with joy. "I've got it Harry."

Harry looked at Hermione with open curiosity, "You have what?"

"I have a way that we can get out of the chamber without having to take brooms."

Harry was a little torn by her statement. On the one hand, he actually liked the challenge of flying his broom up the pipe. On the other hand, he knew that Hermione absolutely hated the trip up the pipe. "Ok, Hermione what do you have in mind?"

"I will show you tonight."

That night, while Harry, Ron, and Ginny looked through the transcripts of recorded conversations, Hermione spent most of her time out in the tunnel next to the pipe. Harry was a little discouraged, that they had spent well over a week, reading private conversations, and hadn't found anything to really justify their eavesdropping yet.

They had been able to stop Malfoy and his goons from picking on a few first and second years, and had prevented a Ravenclaw seventh year from sabotaging the Hufflepuff Quidditch gear. Harry had been a little hesitant about stopping that one, since it appeared to be intended as a prank. It was actually Hermione that pointed out that having Quidditch pads bite you while up in the air could cause someone to fall off of his or her broom and get seriously hurt.

Harry had hoped to catch some information about possible Death Eater activity, but so far had had no luck. Dumbledore's office was sealed in a way that they hadn't been able to get past yet. Snape's quarters had yielded a small amount of information. They knew that he was still acting as a spy, and that he was providing the Order with information, but they hadn't been able to glean much beyond that.

It was almost light, when Hermione called everyone out into the tunnel. She had magically constructed, what looked disturbingly to Harry like a nice padded coffin. The 'coffin' had no lid, and also was missing the wall above the head. Hermione Laid down in it, and in a firm voice said, "Going up." Suddenly she shot out of the head of the box, and shot up the pipe.

When she was gone, Harry looked at Ron and Ginny in shock, "I'm not sure that looked any better than the broom."

Before either of them could answer Harry, Hermione came sliding back down the pipe, and landed in the coffin like box. She climbed out with a huge smile on her face. Isn't it perfect? Not only can we get out of here without brooms, but now we don't have to worry about getting our clothes dirty, or hurt when we shoot out of the pipe."

"Hermione, did you have to make it look like a coffin?"

Hermione gave Harry an odd look then looked down at the box she had built and charmed. She suddenly gasped, "I didn't even notice that, but it does look a little like a coffin. Don't worry, though. It is perfectly safe. Look, I am going to go up again, and I want you to each try it too. There is something else I want to show you."

After Hermione had disappeared for a second time Harry and Ron both looked at each other, silently daring the other one to go first. Ginny gave a short bark of indignation, "Fine, if you two brave boys are too scared to go, I will." True to her word, Ginny climbed into the device and with two quick words was on her way.

As soon as she had disappeared, Ron jumped in and took off, leaving Harry alone. Harry decided that he would have to just put aside his reservations, or look like a coward. He climbed into the box and spoke the password to take off. Harry was surprised; the ride up the tunnel was smooth and fast. It wasn't as exhilarating as a suicidal flight on his broom, but it was actually rather fun. Harry's second surprise came when he reached the top of the pipe. Instead of shooting out into Myrtle's Bathroom, Harry came to a quick stop at the top of the pipe, and found himself seemingly standing on air. He quickly stepped out of the pipe, and into the bathroom.

"I also made a magical platform for us to stand on when we first climb into the entrance. To deactivate it for a couple of seconds you just say drop me." Hermione looked extremely proud of her achievements.

"Um Hermione, why did you do that?" Harry asked with not a small amount of confusion.

Hermione looked as if the answer to Harry's question was completely obvious. "Well, this way we aren't being thrown out into the bathroom, but more importantly, it makes it easier for you to close the entrance. Just step in, turn around and tell the sink to close. That way we don't have to worry about someone coming into the bathroom and finding the entrance open."

"Oh, that is a good idea." Harry blushed with embarrassment at not having considered that possibility before.

Katie Bell, who was the new Quidditch captain, called for complete tryouts for the team. Harry was surprised that no one challenged him for the spot of Seeker. Ron, and Ginny both made the team again to Harry's immense delight. In the end Katie decided to go with two third year boys for beaters, Denis Creevey, and Jimmy Peakes. While Denis was extremely small for a beater, he made up for his size with his pure lack of fear. Katie had been a little hesitant about letting him on the team simply out of fear that he would kill himself. The Last addition to the team was Natalie McDonald who would join Ginny and Katie as chasers. Even though the team was fairly young, Harry was confident that they would be able to work well together.

During breakfast one morning, Harry received an owl from the Twins. At first Harry was more than a little bewildered when he opened the letter to find a blank mail order form for the joke shop. Ron who had been looking with curiosity at the owl laughed when he saw what it contained.

"Not so subtle, are they? I recon they want you to buy something." Ron asked with a laugh.

Suddenly Harry realized what he was really holding in his hands. He Gestured for Ron and Hermione to follow him. Almost as an afterthought he also included Neville, and Ginny. They were just leaving the great hall, when they saw Luna coming in. Harry quickly stopped the odd Ravenclaw girl, and took the whole group to an empty classroom.

After Harry checked to make sure that they were alone, he pulled out the parchment that the twins had sent him. "I asked Fred and George to come up with a more secure way for us to communicate, and then I forgot all about it until today. They are also suppose to be looking out for any Death Eater activities, and working on some other projects for me, so I don't know what this letter is about. Mostly I wanted to show you how their secret communications work, and apologize for not showing you guys this earlier."

Harry then pulled out his DA Galleon and pressed to the parchment. "Umbridge is Dead", he whispered. The order form suddenly dissolved into the parchment, and was replaced with a rather brief note.

_Harry_

_We did it. Lupin helped us figure out the secret to the Map, and we made one for Diagon Alley. We also have been able to find a couple of friends for later. We are working on a way to make quick temporary maps since they might be useful. We have some new projects to show you. Trust us you will be impressed. Write back to set up a time to meet, you know how to get out of the castle._

_Your humble servants F. G._

Ron whistled, "They made a Marauders map of Diagon Alley?" Suddenly it was like a light had gone off in his head, "That means they can track Death Eater activity in the alley, at least for the Death Eaters that we know."

Hermione looked at the note carefully, "Ask them to bring detailed notes on how they made the map when you meat with them. I would like to possibly make some changes to the map to make it more useful."

Harry was surprised; "You're not going to warn me about sneaking out of the castle to meet with them?"

Hermione shrugged, "As many rules as we have broken so far this year, what does one more matter, just be careful."

Neville asked, "So are you going to show us how to disguise letters like that?"

Harry grinned, "That was my intention, that is if you want to know." Harry decided to do something that he had been putting off for a while. "Actually Neville, and Luna, if you could meet me tonight, I have something I want to share with you, but we need someplace secret to talk." After both of his friends had agreed to meet him, he continued, "Neville, we will grab you tonight from our dorm. Luna, see me after dinner, and I will loan you my Invisibility cloak. I need you to meat us in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom."

That night Harry led the last of the students who had fought with him at the department of mysteries into the chamber of Secrets. He had a hard time prying them away from the corpse of the Basilisk, and reminded himself that he really needed to do something with the thing. Harry then explained the prophecy to the two of them, and started them on the path to learning Occlumency. Harry also provided them with the potions that would reduce their need to sleep, to give them more time to study Occlumency.

Everything in Harry's life seemed to be pretty much on track for the first month back at Hogwarts. Quidditch was great. Harry had a girlfriend for the first time in his life, although they hadn't done much more than take a couple of walks together. His classes were going well, and the DA was awesome. Harry didn't need to spend much time with Snape, but to his surprise the Potions master had provided him with the names of a couple of fourth year Slytherins, that no one seemed to have a problem with. The one truly irritating aspect of Harry's first month back at school was his lack of progress on finding a decent recourse for Potion's theory.

It was during one of Harry and Ron's study sessions in the library, that Harry finally found the answer to his question about how to determine the quantity of ingredients for a potion. When he found the answer, he wished that he didn't.

Harry reread the paragraph in front of him for the forth time, willing it to say something other than what it had said the last three times. The words on the page however were uncooperative, and once gave the same information. Harry couldn't help himself; he let out a growl of anger, and stomped out of the library before Madam Pince could warn him about his noise.

Ron Quickly joined Harry in the Hall outside of the Library. By the time Ron found him, Harry was kicking the wall repeatedly mumbling "Stupid" with every kick. Ron looked quizzically at his friend, "Um mate? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's Wrong! I'll tell you what's wrong. I finally found out what we need to do if we want to actually understand potions theory, that's what's wrong."

"So, what is so bad about that? I thought that is what we were looking for."

"Gee let's see, First of all, Potion ingredients amounts aren't determined by the potency of the ingredients so much as they are by the numerological properties of the ingredients based on some weird formula I have never heard of. Then of course the number of times you stir the potion, and the direction you stir it are determined by how much positive or negative energy you need to add to the potion. In short, you have to be a bloody expert in Arithmancy before you can become a Master in Potions." Harry paused in his tirade, "Well, maybe you don't need to be an expert, but you need to at least have a basic understanding of Arithmancy, which neither of us do. To make it worse what type of cauldron you prepare the potion in, and what type of stirrer you use can affect the outcome of the potion. These as well as a few of the different types of Potions ingredients fall under the study of Alchemy, which isn't even taught at Hogwarts, so how are we going to figure that out."

Ron looked about as depressed as Harry felt, "Well, I guess we just focus on learning how to brew the potions, and don't worry about the theory. Unless…"Ron suddenly looked thoughtful.

Harry looked at him, "Unless what Ron?"

"Well, Harry, if you really want to learn the why as well as the how of potions, then we don't give up. We just need to accept that we will not have mastered it by the time we graduate. We focus on what we need to know to pass our NEWT's, but go ahead and start learning the rest of it too if we have time. Look Harry, I will admit that you are a lot more interested in grasping the Theory behind Potions than I was. But if you want to keep learning this stuff, I will do my best to help you, even if I don't learn it all with you."

Harry smiled, "Thanks Ron, I will think about it, but you are right about one thing, we need to focus on passing our NEWT's in two years."

As the Month of October started, the Death Eater attacks on muggles suddenly stopped. The silence from Voldemort and his Death Eaters was enough to bring the wizarding world to a state of panic. It seemed that everyone was waiting for the inevitable attack on the Wizarding World that was sure to come. The sense of impending doom managed to even penetrate the walls of Hogwarts.

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_I am sorry that this chapter has taken so long for me to post. By way of apology, I promise that the next chapter titled, "A Change of Tactics" will be up within the next 48 hours. The reason that this chapter has been late is that I suffered from an attack of lethargy, where I just wasn't in the mood to write for a couple of days. It may have been partly because this chapter mostly just sets up the events that are going to carry us into the first major conflict of my story. So this chapter was important, but a little boring as well._

_I know I said I probably wouldn't put in a lot of author notes, and I have included them in just about every chapter. It is just that for some reason, when I finish a chapter I find that I have one or two things to say that don't fit into a chapter._

_There were a couple of comments made in reviews that I wanted to address. _

_First, the reason that Harry didn't jump up and turn Snape in to Dumbledore. I discussed some of this reason earlier in the story, but there are other reasons as well. One of which is that Dumbledore doesn't view the attempted attack on Harry's mind as a problem. I think that one of the flaws of legilimency is that once you learn how to look into peoples heads to see if they are telling the truth, you are probably going to use it. The concept of invasion of privacy would start to dissolve after time, hence Dumbledore trying the same thing earlier. Harry knows what Snape has done, or failed to do, but he has no proof. Dumbledore has repeatedly sided with Snape against Harry's complaints. The only way that Harry could convince Dumbledore about Snape's actions would be to lower his shields and allow the Headmaster free access to his mind, something that Harry will never do. Or agree to questioning under Veritaserum, once again something Harry won't do since he is keeping a number of secrets from the headmaster as well. Another Reason that Harry is not anxious to see Snape go is that he is useful. As long as Snape is spying on the Death Eaters, he is useful to Dumbledore. If Harry can find a way to bug the Headmaster's office, all of Snape's information becomes his as well. Harry plans on getting his revenge on Snape eventually, but he wants to use him first._

_The second comment I wanted to briefly address is about the shape that memories take during Occlumency. Memories do not have actual physical form, so the shape they take is determined by your personality when you look at them. Harry's memories are currently Quidditch balls, at some time in the future that might change. This doesn't mean that he will have Quidditch balls and something else, if his personality changes enough to change the shape of his memories, the shape of all of his memories will change. That is why he doesn't have different shaped memories from before he learned about Quidditch. The reason that the other memories in Ron's head have a different shape is because they literally are not his memories. They are permanently in the shape that their owner appointed to them._


End file.
